RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A U.S. District Court jury in Riverside, Calif. ruled that Riverside County violated a nurse’s constitutional rights after she was fired from her job for refusing to dispense the controversial “morning-after” pill.
The American Center for Law and Justice filed the suit in December 2000 against the Riverside Neighborhood Health Center on behalf of Michelle Diaz.
According to the suit, Diaz, a nurse at the clinic, was fired after telling her supervisor that her religious beliefs prevented her from dispensing the medication — which is designed to terminate a pregnancy — because she felt she would be participating in abortion.
A jury in the case found that the county had violated Diaz’s First Amendment rights of free speech, had violated her rights of freedom of religion and had failed to reasonably accommodate her religious beliefs.
Diaz was awarded damages totaling more than $47,000, including $19,000 for back pay and more than $28,000 in damages for emotional distress.
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