TEMPLE, Texas — A nurse practitioner working at Temple's VA medical facility filed a lawsuit against the Department of Veteran Affairs because she alleges the agency's newly-implemented abortion services violates her religious beliefs.
The lawsuit was filed on Dec. 13 on behalf of Stephanie Carter, an Army veteran who has worked for the VA for 23 years including her roughly two years at Olin E. Teague Veterans' Center in Temple.
According to the lawsuit, VA Secretary Denis McDonough issued a new rule for the agency on Sept. 9 that requires all VA medical facilities across the country to start providing abortion care and abortion counseling to veterans and their beneficiaries.
The VA rule was implemented following the Supreme Court's historic overturning of Roe v. Wade during the summer. As a result, abortions were no longer protected on the federal level and were left up to the states to decide.
"Ms. Carter found herself working at a medical facility whose mission now included providing abortions and abortion counseling," the lawsuit states. "Because of her religious beliefs, Ms. Carter cannot perform, prescribe, or counsel for abortions, or work in a facility that performs abortion services for reasons other than to save the life of the mother because, in her view, unborn babies are created in the image of God and should be protected."
According to the lawsuit, Carter asked for a religious accommodation twice in October in hopes she didn't have to participate in abortion services or counseling. Her supervisor reportedly told her there was no process in place at the VA to consider her requests.
"More than three months after the VA implemented the Rule, a religious accommodation process does not exist," the lawsuit states.
As a result, the VA rule "imposes a substancial burden on Ms. Carter by forcing her to choose between her livelihood as a health care professional (her job) and her exercise of religion."
A spokesman for the VA, Terrence Hayes, said McDonough "has made clear to all employees that their religious beliefs are protected here at the VA," according to military.com.
"VA does provide accommodation for VA employees who wish to opt out of providing abortion counseling or services," Hayes said. "We are currently honoring exemption requests that come through VA supervisors. We have provided all VA health care employees with this information -- including information for how to exercise those protections through VA's Office of Resolution Management Diversity and Inclusion -- and we have encouraged employees to inform their supervisors of any requests for exemptions."
According to military.com, the lawsuit doesn't seek to stop the abortion policy nationwide, but prevent it from being applied to Carter and the Temple VA facility.
Read the lawsuit below: