Lawsuit: City retaliated against Catholic hospital for refusing ‘body cavity’ drug search
Summary
A federal lawsuit has been filed by Mercy Health in Lorain, Ohio, alleging that city officials retaliated against the hospital and violated its constitutional rights after doctors refused to perform a body cavity search on a detainee. The hospital argues that the requested search posed a high risk of serious injury or death, potentially releasing drugs into the patient's system. Following the refusal, the police terminated their security services agreement with the hospital, leading to increased risks for the facility and its community. The lawsuit highlights that the hospital's refusal is supported by its Catholic Ethical and Religious Directives, which allow practitioners to opt out of procedures they morally oppose.
Relevance
This is an interesting article, as refusal to perform a body cavity search isn't tied to faith, yet the rights of conscience argument still comes into play. The way the issue was framed by the author is also interesting, as while the refusal didn't have much to do with Catholic identity, it was heavily emphasized.