A lawsuit has been filed stating that Catholic hospital workers in Michigan should be required to perform abortions even if it goes against their religious beliefs.
According to a report by Alliance Defending Freedom, the lawsuit was filed by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against Trinity Health, a medical organization that operates 86 health clinics in 21 states and one that is openly a Catholic organization.
Despite instructions given by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, ACLU demands that personnel of Trinity Health be required to perform abortions on pregnant women when the need arises.
The lawsuit points to failure to perform abortions brought about by pregnancy that bring complications to mothers. "As a result, pregnant women seeking emergency care at Defendants' hospitals— including at least one of Plaintiffs' members—have become septic, experienced hemorrhaging, contracted life-threatening infections, and/or unnecessarily suffered severe pain for several days at a time," a section of the lawsuit reads.
ACLU also goes on to defend that the immediate medical attention required, in some medical cases amongst pregnant women, is the termination of the pregnancy.
Trinity Health is one of the largest Catholic institutions in America, operating 91 hospitals and 126 continuing care facilities, home health and hospice programs, and PACE center locations serving up to 2.5 million patients annually. The organization was formed back in 2013 as a merger between Trinity Health and Catholic Health East, and has then grown revenues to about $15.8 billion annually.
A similar lawsuit was also charged to Skagit Regional Health Clinic and the East Jefferson County Hospital in Port Townsend, also filed by ACLU.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that fights to give people the freedom to practice their faith. ADF serves various regions across the world through regional offices and personal attorneys that can be contacted for legal help once threatened with religious discrimination.
