On Wednesday, a group of more than 20 Republican senators and 60 representatives wrote a letter to two Biden administration officials who acted to dismiss a lawsuit at the Department of Justice against the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) for knowingly forcing a nurse to assist with an elective abortion despite her explicit objections to abortion, violating the Church Amendments that have been part of federal conscience protections since 1973.
The letter, addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Beccera, notes that UVMMC has received grant funding from the HHS since 1998 and is bound to abide by the Church Amendments as part of the condition of receiving federal funding.
“HHS informed UVMMC that it needed to conform its policies to the Church Amendments and take other corrective action,” the letter states. “HHS even offered to work with UVMMC to help bring it into compliance. Unfortunately, UVMMC refused to comply with the federal law and its contractual obligations as a federal recipient.”
The lawsuit, which was filed during the Trump administration, stated that this specific incident involving the pro-life nurse assisting with an elective abortion was part of an ongoing pattern at the healthcare facility. In the letter, it notes that the hospital scheduled around 10 nurses with objections to abortion to assist with approximately 20 abortions.
“UVMMC not only violated one nurse’s conscience rights, but it kept policies in place that explicitly required members with conscience objections to participate in procedures to ‘ensure that patient care is not negatively impacted,’” the letter states. “Due to the coercive actions of employers like UVMMC and the hostility toward religious and moral convictions shown by your agencies in this case, the importance of these laws is plainly demonstrated.”
Recommended
The letter was led by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and James Lankford (R-OK). Other signers of the letter include Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and John Kennedy (R-LA). It concludes with specific requests for information regarding the lawsuit before August 27.
“Your handling of this case is a profound miscarriage of justice and a rejection of your commitment to enforce federal conscience laws for Americans of all religious beliefs and creeds – and especially for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who object to abortion,” the letter states. “Your actions signal to employers all around the country that they don’t need to comply with the law because your agencies will not enforce it. They also signal that this administration would rather allow consciences to be violated at the behest of the abortion lobby rather enforce the law and protect religious liberty. We demand a full explanation of your agencies’ actions.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member