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The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched a compliance review to investigate allegations that technicians employed by a hospital faced possible termination due to their objections to performing ultrasounds used in abortion procedures.
“This matter is the second investigation of an entity’s compliance with laws protecting the exercise of conscience that OCR has initiated during President Trump’s second term,” HHS observed Monday in a press release. “Today’s announcement is part of a larger effort to strengthen enforcement of laws protecting conscience and religious exercise.”
“The Department is committed to enforcement of our nation’s laws that safeguard the fundamental rights of conscience and religious exercise,” said Acting OCR Director Anthony Archeval in a statement. “Health care professionals should not be coerced into, fired for, or driven out of the profession for declining to perform procedures that Federal law says they do not have to perform based on their religious beliefs or moral convictions.”
OCR enforces federal conscience and religious freedom protections “in specific programs funded by HHS federal financial assistance,” HHS explains. An individual can file a complaint online or by mail, fax, or e-mail via the website for instructions.
Recipients of certain federal funds are prohibited from requiring certain individual providers to participate in procedures that violate their faith beliefs or moral convictions, HHS notes, giving an example of “providing or referring for abortions or assisted suicide.”
Other provisions, pertaining to patients, clarify that “certain programs related to mental health treatment, hearing screening programs, occupational illness testing, and compulsory health care services generally are not to be construed to require patients to receive certain health care services to which they object based on religious or moral beliefs.”
“If you believe that your or another person’s conscience, civil rights, or health information privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with OCR,” the federal health agency’s tip portal states.
In April, the Trump HHS initiated its first investigation into allegations that a major pediatric teaching hospital fired a whistleblower nurse who objected to administering puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children due to her faith beliefs.
While the department does not identify the facilities involved while investigations are underway, that hospital was later revealed to be Texas Children’s Hospital. Nurse whistleblower Vanessa Sivadge came forward with her allegations in June 2024 and was then terminated the following August.
“I witnessed firsthand how doctors emotionally blackmailed parents by telling them that if they did not affirm their child’s false identity, their child would harm themselves,” Sivadge testified to lawmakers. “In particular, I was saddened to see young girls suffering from profound mental health struggles like depression and anxiety, many of whom had also suffered sexual abuse or trauma, persuaded by doctors at Texas Children’s that a hormone would resolve their gender confusion.”
Archeval said at the time: “The Department will robustly enforce Federal laws protecting these courageous whistleblowers, including laws that protect health care professionals from being forced to violate their religious beliefs or moral convictions.”