Nurse sues NY hospital after allegedly being forced to help with abortion

A New York City nurse has sued Mount Sinai Hospital after she was allegedly forced to assist with a late term abortion in contravention of her religious beliefs.

The nurse, Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo, who works in the hospital's operating room, contends that she had to help with an abortion on a 22-week pregnant patient with pre-eclampsia, despite it going against her religious beliefs. Otherwise, she feared she'd lose her job and her license.

Despite knowing of her objections to participating in abortions since her hiring in 2004, her supervisors refused to reassign the procedure to another nurse, Cenzon-DeCarlo contends. She also asserts that the hospital could have gotten another nurse to do the procedure, since it had about six hours to find a replacement.

Instead, she alleges, they threatened her with charges of insubordination and patient abandonment if she wouldn't assist with the abortion.

To learn more about the suit:
- read this Health Leaders Media piece

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