11/16/11: Nurses Get Temporary Reprieve

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A federal judge will hear oral arguments Friday in a case involving a group of hospital nurses in New Jersey who were ordered to assist in abortions or be fired. U.S. District Judge Jose Linares will hear the lawsuit filed by twelve nurses employed by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Judge Linares issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the hospital from requiring the nurses to “undergo any training, procedures, or performances related to abortion” until he rules on the merits of the case. Linares also ordered the hospital not to discriminate against any of the nurses.

When the nurses objected that assisting in “violence against innocent human life” would violate their religious beliefs, they were told that their religious convictions were of no consequence.