Louisiana Nurse Wins State Supreme Court Battle in Plan B Conscience Case

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 20, 2009

Baton Rouge, LA (LifeNews.com) -- A Louisiana nurse won her battle at the state Supreme Court last Friday when it refused to hear a hospital's appeal of a lower court decision siding with her. The nurse, Toni Lemly, sued St. Tammany Parish Hospital in 2005 after it refused to grant a reasonable accommodation for her religious beliefs.

Lemly informed hospital staff that she objected to administering the morning after pill because of her religious beliefs.

In response, St. Tammany Parish Hospital fired Lemly from her full-time position and reduced her to part-time status, working only three days a week. Her demotion resulted in a significant reduction in pay and the loss of employee benefits.

The hospital declined several reasonable suggestions made by Lemly, a nurse for 23 years, that would have enabled the facility to continue administering the pill while allowing her to abstain from dispensing it herself. The hospital chose not to act on any of her suggestions. the rest