A former physician’s assistant in the University of Michigan healthcare system has sued her former employer, claiming the medical system violated her right to religious freedom when it fired her for refusing to use preferred pronouns or approve of sex-change procedures.
In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Valerie Kloosterman accused University of Michigan Health-West, her former employer, of violating her sincerely held religious beliefs by terminating her employment in August 2021 for refusing to use preferred pronouns or make referrals for sex-change drugs or procedures.
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“It was unlawful, unconstitutional, and intolerant of University of Michigan Health-West to demand that Ms. Kloosterman abandon her religious beliefs and her medical ethics to remain employed,” the lawsuit says. “The Court must hold University of Michigan Health-West and the individual Defendants accountable for their blatant religious discrimination and other violations of Ms. Kloosterman’s legal rights.”
Kloosterman, who is represented by the nonprofit legal organization First Liberty Institute, had worked for University of Michigan Health-West for 17 years, according to the court filing. The conflict over her religious beliefs only arose after the hospital rebranded from its old name, Metropolitan Hospital, to University of Michigan Health-West.
According to the lawsuit, the hospital required her to complete several training modules on treating gay and transgender patients that asked her “to affirm statements concerning sexual orientation and gender identity that her Christian faith prohibited her from affirming.”
The longtime physician’s assistant requested a religious accommodation to avoid affirming the statements but was subsequently fired in August 2021 without prior warning, according to the lawsuit.
“Medical professionals like Valerie should not have to abandon their religious beliefs in order to remain employed,” First Liberty Institute wrote on its website. “Valerie deserves to get her job back without having to violate her religious convictions, so that she can continue caring for her community and her patients.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, University of Michigan Health-West spokesman Chris Zoladz said the hospital had yet to see Kloosterman’s complaint and could not comment “on claims that haven’t been formally made.”
“If they are similar to her claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, they will also be without merit,” Zoladz said.
