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Mother and Grandmother
Category: Pro-life
Start Date: July 12, 2016
Eighteen years ago, I
became a pediatric nurse to help children. I never thought that I would someday
lose my job on account of my commitment to protect life and do no harm.
That terrible day came
last year when the new Public Health Administrator for the Winnebago County
Health Department decided that I could no longer serve as a pediatric nurse
unless I was willing to violate my conscience and commitment to life. She wrote
me a letter giving me two weeks to decide whether I would perform my newly
“required duties” of assisting in the provision of abortion referrals and
abortifacient drugs or lose my job in the health clinics. To add insult to
injury, the Health Department “offered” me a position as a “temporary part-time
food inspector.”
What would you do?
Because I was unwilling
to violate my conscience, my oath, and my commitment to God, I lost my job as a
pediatric nurse. And with my job I lost my income—an income upon which my
family relied. I could no longer afford to help keep three grandchildren in
Catholic school and could not help my youngest son, who had just graduated from
high school, with the cost of college. Due to my job loss and inability to help
him, my son had to join the Army to help pay for his education. The fact that
he won’t be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas makes me feel very guilty, as I
struggle with the feeling that I am failing my children.
The stress that this has
caused me has also taken a toll on my health. When I lost my job, I also lost
my health insurance and could no longer see my Primary health provider.
I am daily struggling
with the stress of my financial and health situation, but I have since learned
of the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which was put in place to
protect nurses just like me and our right of conscience. In June 2016, with the
help of the pro-life attorneys at Mauck & Baker, I filed a lawsuit that I hope will vindicate my right of conscience.
I also hope my case will help protect and encourage other nurses and doctors in
their stand for life. We can’t do this alone. I can’t do this alone.
My family and I would
greatly appreciate your prayers and any help you could give us as we look to
meet expenses, keep my grandchildren in their Catholic school, and cover the
costs of litigating my case and vindicating the right of
conscience in Illinois.
God bless,
Sandra Mendoza