With some states forcing citizens to wear masks or show vaccine IDs, it’s good to see a judge rule in favor of an employee’s conscience protections in the workplace.
On Wednesday, the 17th Judicial Circuit Court ruled in favor of Sandra Rojas, a nurse who was essentially forced out of her job after decades of service because she declined to refer women for abortions or provide contraceptives. Both things violated Rojas’s sincerely held religious beliefs.
Rojas originally focused on pediatrics and worked in a children’s home. Many years later, she took a job with the Winnebago County Health Department in Illinois, which eventually consolidated pediatrics with other healthcare divisions, such as women’s health. When Rojas’s job descriptions began to include providing contraceptives and referring women for abortions, she expressed objections based on her religious beliefs. Originally, her employer provided short-term accommodations. But then, the employer offered Rojas a choice: resign or be fired.
Rojas filed a lawsuit under the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act against the Winnebago County Health Department with attorneys allied with Alliance Defending Freedom.
“Deciding that [Rojas] could not be trusted in any aspect of her clinic work because of her objections of conscience clearly constitutes ‘discrimination’ against her in violation of the Conscience Act,” Circuit Judge Eugene G. Doherty wrote in his memorandum opinion filed in October 2021. On Wednesday, an Illinois trial court ruled that Winnebago County must pay more than $370,000 to Rojas’s attorneys since the county violated her legally protected conscience.
“Medical professionals should never be forced to engage in or promote activities that violate their beliefs or convictions,” said Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “Sandra served as a nurse according to her conscience and religion — a right for medical providers that is protected under Illinois and federal law.”
This might seem like a small case, but a violation of someone’s conscience protections should never go unchecked. This is an important win for people of faith who wish to sustain employment while holding true to their religious beliefs. Indeed, it’s a win for freedom.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram opinion writer and previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.
