The Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) is investigating whether or not an worker at a Michigan hospital system was fired for refusing to make use of a affected person’s most popular pronouns and helping in “sex trait modification” procedures, the company’s Workplace for Civil Rights (OCR) introduced Friday.
The well being care employee allegedly requested spiritual lodging from sure employment practices like utilizing sufferers’ most popular pronouns even when they don’t match with their intercourse and from serving to with “certain sex trait modification procedures,” in response to a press launch from the HHS.
An HHS spokesperson has but to answer questions from The Hill on the identify of the well being care system beneath investigation.
If the worker was fired because of this, the press launch states, the termination was a violation of federal conscience legal guidelines.
The investigation will look into whether or not the well being system has insurance policies that align with federal conscience legal guidelines, also referred to as Church Amendments, that search to accommodate well being care employees with spiritual beliefs that battle with sure well being care procedures.
The investigation may also study the particular circumstances associated to the well being care employee’s firing.
“OCR is committed to enforcing Federal conscience laws in health care,” HHS Workplace for Civil Rights Director Paula M. Stannard mentioned. “Health care workers should be able to practice both their professions and their faith.”
That is the third investigation concerning conscience rights in well being care the division has launched since President Trump returned to workplace in late January.
“Today’s announcement is part of a larger effort to strengthen enforcement of laws protecting conscience and religious exercise,” the company mentioned in an announcement.
