Christian nurse sues VA for forcing staff to help with abortions

By Kate Anderson
Daily Caller News Foundation

A former Army nurse filed a lawsuit against Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough on Tuesday over a new rule that forces staff to administer “abortions and abortion counseling.”

The VA changed its medical care coverage to provide abortions after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in June, which then trigged Texas’ abortion ban that had been passed earlier that year, according to the lawsuit. Stephanie Carter, a nurse at the Temple, Texas, VA facility, filed the lawsuit after being told there was no system in place to process her religious exemption to the VA’s new policy that would require her to assist in performing abortions and provide counseling to veterans seeking an abortion.

Carter’s attorney, Holly Randall, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the VA’s new rule puts Carter in a horrible position between “losing her job or violating her sincerely held religious belief while incurring criminal liability under Texas law.”

On Sept. 2, after pressure from Democratic members of Congress, the VA announced that it would be including abortion in its medical coverage, according to the lawsuit. The new rule did not provide a public comments phase until 30 days after the rule went into effect on Sept. 9 because McDonough said it would be “impracticable and contrary to the public interest.”

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The new rule allows abortions when necessary to “promote, preserve, or restore the health” of the veteran or their beneficiaries as well as in instances of rape or incest, according to the lawsuit. There is currently no trimester or viability limit for when a doctor can perform an abortion, leaving the decision up to the medical professional in charge.

Carter requested a religious exemption on “two separate occasions” in October due to her Christian belief that “unborn babies are created in the image of God and should be protected,” the lawsuit stated. Carter was denied both times and currently, the VA still does not accept religious exemptions to the new rule.

Should the VA force nurses to participate in abortions?

Randall told the DCNF that without the ability to request an accommodation, Carter is left in a position where she can be prosecuted by the state of Texas. Carter has worked with the VA for 23 years and was in the Army for eight.

“Texas law punishes providers that offer abortions for circumstances other than to save the life of the mother, so by [Carter] following the rule at the VA facility she is putting herself at risk for civil liability, criminal liability and losing her license under Texas law,” Randall explained.

In addition, the lawsuit points out that medical professionals can object to performing an abortion if it is within “the exercise of medical judgment,” but has no system in place for, and has repeatedly denied, requests for religious accommodation. This discrepancy violates the First Amendment protections that Carter is entitled to, according to Randall.

“Federal law requires [the VA] to consider the religious objections of their health care workers, so for someone like Ms. Carter that has an objection to abortion, they are required to consider her religious beliefs,” Randall stated.

Randall also said Carter was never given a deadline for when she would be able to submit a request for accommodation. While the VA never threatened to fire Carter, they’ve continued to tell her to wait without explanation, continuing to put Carter at odds with Texas law, Randall told the DCNF.

The VA and McDonough did not reply to the DCNF’s request for comment.

This story originally was published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The “Climate Change Cult.” The “Anti-Racism Cult.” The “Cult of Wokeness.” The “LGBTQ Cult” and its predatory offspring targeting America’s children, the “Transgender Cult.” The “Cult of Abortion.” The “COVID Cult.” The “Cult of Globalism.” “TikTok Cults.” Every month the list grows.

To right-thinking Americans attempting to make sense of a nation seemingly gone mad, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the irrational, deranged – and often demonic – leftwing political and cultural movements currently capturing the minds of millions of Americans are nothing short of full-fledged cults.

Although the high priesthood of all these leftwing religious cults – i.e., university professors, academics and other Marxist ideologues and activists – may be true believers, the people actually wielding REAL POWER do not believe any of it. To them, these leftwing cults conveniently serve to disguise and distract “the rabble” from what the leader class is REALLY up to, which is the pursuit of ever more power, wealth and glory for themselves, and a total transformation of America and the world.

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