The nurses objected but were told by a supervisor that they must dispense the abortion drugs and one administrator went as far as telling them, “What would happen if we allowed all the Christian nurses to refuse?” according to the newspaper.
The hospital eventually relented and allowed the nurses to engage in duties elsewhere, but Addison said the hospital violated the 1967 Abortion Act legalizing abortion in England but allowing for conscience rights for those not wanting to be involved in abortions. He also raised the Equality Act 2010 by claiming that the nurses’ pro-life views constituted a “protected philosophical belief” under the law — making it so pressuring them to be involved in abortions would have constituted an illegal act entitling them to legal protection from harassment and potential hearings on the matter.
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