Contact: Kristin Hansen, Care Net, 703-554-8742
LANSDOWNE, VA, Feb.3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Care Net, represented by attorneys from Advocates International, filed a motion to intervene Monday in three lawsuits involving a federal law protecting the rights of medical professionals to practice without being forced to perform abortions. Care Net is defending the interests of more than 470 medical pregnancy centers within its network and the licensed professionals that serve within these centers. Joining Care Net as intervenors are: Heartbeat International, Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International, Concerned Women for America, The Fellowship of Christian Physician Assistants, and New Jersey Physicians Resource Council. Read the motion to intervene.
Challenging the law are abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood and attorney generals from states that are some of the worst in the nation in protecting unborn life and the rights of pro-life medical professionals, according to Americans United for Life.
Care Net President Melinda Delahoyde said the lawsuits threaten not only the rights of medical professionals but ultimately the availability of critical services to low-income women. "Pregnancy centers offer free support to thousands of individuals facing unplanned pregnancies and related issues," said Delahoyde. "Without RNs, nurse practitioners, and physicians to serve within our non-profit centers, these women will suffer a huge loss." Ultimately, Delahoyde argues, without pregnancy center services such as limited obstetrical ultrasounds, abortion rates will increase. (See TIME magazine on reasons why national abortion rate is down.)
The lawsuits come in the midst of a seismic shift of political power to abortion advocates in the White House and Congress. "As we face the most pro-abortion Congress and administration in American history, medical professionals should not be forced to perform abortions against their conscience. Despite the well-established laws protecting the health care right of conscience, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and their pro-abortion allies are now hoping for the cooperation of the Obama administration as they again seek to punish pro-life medical professionals for their beliefs," said Samuel B. Casey, General Counsel of Advocates International's Law of Life Project. "Our clients are opposing these lawsuits because they wrongfully seek to compel health care workers to perform abortions against their ethical and professional judgment or face dire consequences."
The federal law at issue seeks to protect doctors like Sandy Christiansen, MD, OB-Gyn, who serves as medical director at Care Net Pregnancy Center of Frederick, MD. Dr. Christiansen shared her story on CNN of being discriminated against because of her beliefs. While an intern, she was denied operating room privileges by her chief resident who explained it was because she was not "working hard doing the abortions" like others and thus would not get that "perk." Later, as a chief resident, she was humiliated by the attending physician in front of her team of residents, interns and students when she would not perform an abortion on a patient whose baby was diagnosed with Down's syndrome. Not once were Dr. Christiansen's faith-based convictions validated in these experiences or was she informed of her rights according to existing law to protect against this kind of discrimination.
