In Virginia, a Catholic nurse was dismissed from her position at a CVS Health clinic after she refused to provide contraceptives or Plan B pills. Now, Paige Casey, the nurse who was fired, has launched a lawsuit against CVS claiming that the company was overreaching for firing her because of a policy change in August 2021 that prohibited MinuteClinic employees from denying patients prescriptions for Plan B abortifacients or birth control medication.

Although Casey had been a MinuteClinic nurse since 2018, the company “abruptly stopped” accepting her religious exemption in December 2021 after its policy was updated that year. In January and March 2022, Casey attempted to renew her religious exemption with the Fortune 5 firm, but she was informed by supervisors that the business could no longer afford to grant exemptions to providers who do not believe in birth control or contraceptive drugs.

After Casey continually refused to administer Plan B contraceptives and birth control medication, CVS ended her employment.

Casey stated that she had given CVS her exemption request when she was first employed by the clinic in 2018. She informed CVS that her stringent Catholic beliefs prohibited her from “prescribing or facilitating the use of a drug or device that prevents or can prevent implantation of a fertilized egg.”

According to Michael DeAngelis, a CVS Health representative, Casey was not given an extension on her religious exemption and was subsequently fired from her nursing job because part of the “essential functions” of said job is providing patients with requested birth control and Plan B contraceptives.

“MinuteClinic does not provide abortion care or services but educating and treating patients regarding sexual health matters – including pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted infection prevention, screening and treatment, and safer sex practices – have become essential job functions of our providers and nurses,” DeAngelis said. “We cannot grant exemptions from these essential MinuteClinic functions unless we are required to do so under certain state laws.”

The nurse might have Virginia law on their side. The state law states that “any [healthcare worker] who shall state in writing an objection to any abortion or all abortions on personal, ethical, moral or religious grounds shall not be required to participate in procedures which will result in such abortion.”

Plan B is not a medical abortion and can be obtained without a prescription. Plan B, like all contraceptives, is only used to prevent pregnancy and is not considered a surgical procedure. A medical abortion consists of two pills taken at separate times over the course of several weeks. These tablets would be acquired and administered at a pharmacy and used to terminate an ongoing pregnancy at home.

The conservative Christian group, Alliance Defending Freedom, is claiming that CVS broke the law by firing nurse Casey.

Do you believe CVS has the authority to terminate an employee for failing to fulfill their responsibilities?