DOJ drops case of Vermont hospital allegedly forcing nurse to participate in abortion
Fox News
The Justice Department has declined to pursue a case involving a nurse in Vermont who was allegedly forced to participate in an abortion.
An HHS spokesperson told Fox News on Tuesday: "After a detailed evaluation of the underlying legal theory used to issue a referral to the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services withdrew the original referral and requested DOJ dismiss the suit against the University of Vermont Medical Center, a request which was granted. In line with this, HHS removed the Notice of Violation issued against UVMCC last Friday. HHS continues to evaluate the underlying facts of the matter and notified all the parties about its actions last Friday." Former administration officials are describing the move as unprecedented and a dereliction of duty. "Its a dereliction of duty that is an insult to the bipartisan consensus that says you cannot force people to assist in abortions," said Roger Severino, the former head of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Severino had referred the case to the Justice Department after an apparent delay within the department.More Related News