A Catholic nurse has filed a lawsuit against Duke and the Duke University Health System, alleging that they failed to accommodate her religious objections to abortion, birth control and vaccines, and thus violated anti-discrimination laws, according to a report by the News and Observer.
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court Oct. 27, seeks back pay and other damages for Sara Pedro, who took a job as a nurse at Duke hospital in 2016.
After assuming her position, Pedro—who previously worked as a nurse for eight years in New York—received an exemption from the hospital from receiving vaccines. She later told the hospital that she was also unable to administer abortions and could not provide contraceptives or vaccines.
Pedro’s lawyers contend that Duke eventually put her on administrative leave for “pretextual reasons” possibly linked to a “performance improvement plan."
The lawsuit alleges that the hospital violated the anti-discrimination section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which provides that employers should avoid interfering with employees’ religious practices.
Federal religious accommodation provisions also say that employers must find ways to work around workers’ religious beliefs.
Sam Turken contributed reporting.
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