Oct 31, 2011
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UPDATE: A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing a New Jersey hospital from forcing a dozen nurses to assist in training or services related to abortions, according to attorneys representing the nurses.
The order was against the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is in effect until a Nov. 18th court hearing.
“Pro-life nurses shouldn’t be forced to assist or train in services related to abortions,” Alliance Defense Fund attorney Matthew Bowman wrote in a statement. “These 12 nurses have encountered threats to their jobs at this hospital ever since a policy chnage required them to participate in the abortion cases regardless of their religious or moral objections.”
Following, is our original story on the nurses:
Lorna Jose Mendoza has been given a choice. She can either assist in an abortion this week at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, or she could refuse and risk losing her job.
Mendoza is one of a dozen nurses who filed suit today against the hospital – accusing them of violating federal and state law by forcing them to assist in abortions against their religious and moral objections.
“The hospital told the nurses they have no regard for their religious beliefs,” said Matthew Bowman, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund. “They were going to be assigned these abortions or they would be terminated.”
Bowman said the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, on behalf of the nurses who “possess strongly held religious and moral beliefs that she may not participate in the process of an abortion that causes the death of a preborn child.”
A spokesman for the hospital told Fox News they were not aware of the lawsuit and would not be able to provide comment.
Bowman told Fox News that the hospital had been performing abortions for decades without forcing nurses to violate their religious beliefs. But that changed a few weeks ago.
“The hospital passed a policy and put one of the nurses who did abortions in a supervisory position and started forcing nurses to assist in abortions out of the blue,” Bowman said. “It’s in complete violation of federal and state law – that says you can’t force people to assist abortions.”
Bowman said hospital officials agreed to meet with the nurses to discuss the matter, but when the nurses arrived with an attorney the meeting was abruptly cancelled.
“The hospital told the nurses they have no regard for their religious beliefs,” he said. “They were going to be assigned to these abortions or they would be terminated.”
Bowman said the hospital has displayed “an extreme level of arrogance” and is calling on the court to pull the plug of $60 million in federal funding until the hospital agrees to stop forcing nurses to assist in abortions.
FOX News Talk
In reply to Susan Marsten, what you left wing lying liberal communist democraps forget is I am a tax payiing PRO LIFER TOO. Until we can overturn Roe vs wade only pro choice peoples taxes should go to pay for m u r d e r of the unborn. IF YOU D E M O NS DOING YOUR MASTER SATANS BIDDING WERE THE ONES FOOTING THE BILL BELIEVE ME YOU WOULD CHANGE YOUR TUNE.
that's already happening or have you not heard of the Hyde Amendment?
Nurse Lorna Mendoza, you are awesome! You have my full support!
Many people are not basing their opinion about abortion from their religion. I grew up in the days where it was taught that life began at conception. That is still being taught for many life forms on Earth except humans. Why is that?
Why is it wrong to break an egg of an endangerd bird? You can go to jail for a long time for that crime. It doesn't even have to be an endangerd species just a protected one.
Thank God!
It's sad that a genetically unique human is tossed away because someone is too lazy to accept the consequences of their actions. Engaging in sexual behavior can result in a pregnancy. That is biology 101. I don't see how an educated person can be that evil and not see the potential we are throwing away.
The hospital told the nurses they have no regard for their religious beliefs,” said Matthew Bowman, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund. “They were going to be assigned these abortions or they would be terminated.”.
That is unless they were muslim or some other non-christian religion then they would have all the regard in the world for them I bet!
The judge did the right thing. Nursing is all about helping patients and people. The baby in the womb is also human…a growing life with his/her own DNA and gender which will continue to develop all body parts and functions if not killed. Burning with saline or pulling out and taking the baby apart, is that called nursing or doctoring? Do they want nurses that want to save lives or take them?
the word change is spelled wrong..
No one should be forced to watch a baby murdered that is beyond cruel. I back the nurses all the way. Robert; Gods judgement comes on the day you die and answer for your sins and killing a baby isn't good on a resume! Also Robert just because mortality rates are high in some other place in the world (not because of abortion) has nothing to do with this story its not an anti abortion story it is about nurses that would be traumatized to see this horrific act. It's funny we can't make people see or hear anything about religion but we can make them see murder. We are a lost country!
They shouldn't be forced to participate, but if its part of their job description they should be fired.
Jeff you have no heart. Just because something may be legal, doesn't make it morally okay. Many of our legislators will have to answer to God for their votes on the subject of abortion.
If a member of our armed services considers an order from a superior officer to be morally repugnant, (i.e.: a command to fire on unarmed civilians), that soldier is 'allowed' to refuse to obey.
There would be a subsequent hearing to determine the legitimacy of the soldier’s refusal but it would unlikely result in a court marshal or any disciplinary action.
Members of the health-care industry who essentially 'sign-on' to the physicians oath that first thou shall do no harm must be afforded the same consideration.
The issue of abortion is visceral and transcends any attempt to marginalize objections to the act of murdering the 'unborn' as the sole domain of religion.
One of the many aspects that defines our humanity and separate us from other members of the animal kingdom (as well as our own animal-like origins) is that we acknowledged that there was more to our existence than simply the basic concept of survival of the fittest. We evolved morally as well as spiritually to an existence where we protect and defend the weaker among us.
The issue of abortion strikes a hammer blow at the very core of that which we define as our humanity and must not be dismissed or addressed as just another routine medical procedure.
Neither should a health care professional be denied the right to work or face discriminatory or retaliatory job action for exercising the right to refuse such a contentious and controversial act.
Ian, you wrote this eloquently. Your truths are evident and clearly said. Thank you. Gus Piliafas
Ian, you wrote this eloquently. Your truths are evident and clearly said. Thank you. Gus Piliafas
Being a graduate of UMDNJ, I must say I am ashamed of this new policy. UMDNJ is a great school with innovative research and teaching hospital medical students around the country. However, for them to try to force nurses to perform abortions without regard to their religious concerns is without any merit and hopefully ADF will win this case in federal court thereby setting legal precedent.
$60 million in federal funding. Does anyone else wonder if any of the 60 million taxpayers are giving this hospital is going to abortions?
God Bless all who take this stand for the life of an unborn child. God bless you Patty!
they shouldn't be taking these jobs if they refuse to do the scope of what's required of them.
and why don't I hear the same religious convictions being used in times of war? oh, everyone's ready to rush out and kill when there's a dollar to be made off killing a foreign man…
Horrible that abortions are legal. It's so great that these nurses stand up for what's right! See 180movie, it's dealing with the topic…shot to 1 million youtube viewers in only around 4 weeks.
Should the nurses be forced to perform abortions? No. But they shouldn't have become nurses in the first place because something like this was bound to come up. Abortion is part of medical policy and there's no getting around it. If you don't approve of it, that's fine, but don't go into a medical field where science and the patient's rights come first. If I didn't like children I surely wouldn't become a teacher and expect not to have to teach children, yes? It's part of the job and you chose this job. Say the nurse was racist. Should she be able to opt out of treating a different race because it doesn't fit with her morals? No. Of course not.
Amazing how ignorant some people are. Comparing the nurses love for the unborn with rascism
William Foster I don't appreciate being called ignorant for voicing my opinion. Formulating a coherent opinion is the opposite of ignorance, in fact. If you are going to reply to a comment please write a proper argument rather than simply insulting others without purpose.
Doctors and nurses are in the job to help, heal and save lives, not take them. Abortion is in it's own category, and there is no use trying to fit it into the regular day to day health care. Abortion is not health care, not one person in the act of aborting a baby cares one little bit for it's heath. They are wanting it DEAD.
Susan Corbin I'm not trying to debate whether abortion is right or not. I'm not debating whether abortion should be considered a medical procedure or not. The fact of the matter is it IS a medical procedure, whether you believe it is right or not. It is performed by a doctor in a medical facility, making it a medical procedure.
If the right to life people adopted a consistent approach from before birth to adulthood to protect children, the stance would be more accepted. But, the moment the baby is born, then those people make the baby disappear from view and become an anonymous and forgotten child.
This type of thing is more anti-women than anything else.
What do you have to substantiate the idea that children are forgotten?
Jean Quinlan Especially if it is a woman being aborted, right?
Has anyone read the Nurse Practice Act? Obviously the hospital administration has not!
This is America. Kill a baby or lose your job. Rather sickening isn't it?
Todd, have you missed the http://www.180movie.com that has shaken Youtube the last month? Man, get over and interview Ray Comfort!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI
I am pro Choice but I believe that nurses should not be FORCED to assist in abortions if they have religious beliefs against the procedure. Hire nurses that are pro Choice…that way you won't have this problem.
I pray for you…in Jesus Name….egh.
Praise the Lord for ADF, their attorneys and those who help to support ADF.
This is a good example of why I contribute regularly to the Alliance Defense Fund, and will continue to do so. Those who have no problem killing unborn babies will likewise have no problem trampling on other peoples' consciences.
I support the nurses.
The idea that you need abortion to save a woman's life is a total lie! If a woman's life was in danger the baby would be delivered prematurely via C-section and then both mother and child would have a chance to live. No mother would say kill my baby so I could live. That is so ridiculous! It is unreal to even make such a comment!
Medicine first do no harm, it does not condone abortion. In fact the hypocratic oat that doctors take prohibits them from committing abortion and also from poisoning so called mercy killings (euthanasia). People have a God given conscience so there is a shortage of medical staff who will participate in abortion. Wake up America! Stop killing the unborn, they are the future of America and the world and deserve the chance to live! If a person doesn't want a baby they can give it up for adoption or even give the child to a hospital with the Safe Haven Law and then the baby will be adopted by someone who will love and provide a safe home for that child!
I'd like to say something here..Why do we need to do abortion's? This is not the 1950's(and earlier) when contraception was almost non-existent. Why are women using abortion as a contraception? We have contraception that can last 5 years without even thinking about taking it. When as a society we condone murder over prevention it is shameful.
It's like saying "You didn't take care of yourself and now you have a bad heart, so we will just kill you because you will be a burden on us" isn't that what we are saying to all of these girls out there that have unprotected sex, get pregnant and them just let them kill the baby, because they didn't take precaution's before hand? Sorry, but use your brain and not just your hormones!
If Muslim retail workers can refuse to handle pork products, then Christian nurses should be able to refuse to participate in killing the innocent. if Muslim cab drivers can refuse to transport dogs, then Christian nurses should be able to abstain from participating in genocide.
to those who've had abortions how do you reconcile this with the children you do have? What do you say to your children about their dead brother or sister? It's unfathomable to me how people can do this and sleep at night.