Catholic Pediatrician Fired for Refusing to Violate Her Beliefs Settles Case

By Published on August 17, 2015

The American Center for Law and Justice is pleased to announce the settlement of the case of Doris Fernandes vs. The City of Philadelphia, et al. Dr. Fernandes, a Catholic pediatrician who objected to participating in certain reproductive health services, particularly contraception, emergency contraception, and making referrals for them, was terminated by the city back in 2013. Fernandes sued, claiming religious discrimination under Title VII, the First Amendment, and various state laws.

Under the terms of the settlement, the City agrees to adopt a policy permitting any of its medical providers who have religious objections to participating in certain forms of care to redirect patients — short of formal referral — to other appropriate sources. This is consistent with the position endorsed by the American Medical Association in its policy statement, Physician Exercise of Conscience: “When a deeply held, well-considered personal belief leads a physician also to decline to refer, the physician should offer impartial guidance to patients about how to inform themselves regarding access to desired services.”

Read the article “Catholic Pediatrician Fired for Refusing to Violate Her Beliefs Settles Case” on aclj.org.

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