Swedish court rules against midwife who lost job offers for her refusal to perform abortions based on her Christian faith

A district court in Sweden on Thursday ruled against a midwife who was unjustly denied employment by three different medical clinics because of her refusal to perform abortions.

In 2014, midwife Ellinor Grimmark, with the help of human rights group Provita and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), filed a complaint before Sweden's anti-discrimination bureaucracy, contending that she lost three job offers because she refused to assist in abortion procedures based on her religious conviction, according to a report by WND.

While agreeing with the reasoning of the Swedish discrimination ombudsman that Grimmark's rights had been infringed upon on three instances, the Jonkoping County Council said forcing her to participate in abortions that others demand was a far more important matter.

The district court's ruling, however, was deemed to be in violation of Swedish law and international law that mandates the recognition by all countries of the freedom of conscience in the workplace.

"No one deserves to suffer discrimination and be denied employment because their conscience does not allow them to perform abortions. We are disappointed the court did not affirm Swedish law and international law,'' said Roger Kiska, the international senior legal counsel for the ADF.

"The desire to protect life is what leads many midwives and nurses to enter the medical profession in the first place. Medical centres should respect that desire and conviction,'' Kiska said.

Grimmark plans to appeal the decision, according to ADF International.

In a separate interview, Life News quoted Grimmark as saying: "Somebody has to take the little children's side. Somebody has to fight for their right to life. A midwife described to me how she had held an aborted baby in her arms, still alive and cried desperately for an hour while the baby struggled to breath. These children do not even have a right to pain relief. I cannot take part in this.''

In November 2013, Höglandssjukhuset women's clinic withdrew a job offer to Grimmark after she explained that she could not perform abortions because of her Christian faith. The head of the maternity ward reportedly left her a telephone message saying that "she was no longer welcome to work with them'' and questioned "whether a person with such views actually can become a midwife.''

A few months later, Grimmark tried to obtain employment with Ryhovs women's clinic, which told her that a person who refuses to perform abortions does not belong at a women's clinic.

In January 2014, Vanamo Hospital's women's clinic offered Grimmark a job but then withdrew employment because of the complaint she filed against Höglandssjukhuset.

Also as a young intern then at Eksjo, Grimmark claimed she received no support from her union, which sent her a statement stressing she should leave her conscience rights at the door of the hospital, Life News reported.

In the brief filed before the court, the ADF cited the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe which affirmed that "no person, hospital or institution shall be coerced, held liable or discriminated against in any manner because of a refusal to perform, accommodate, assist or submit to an abortion, the performance of a human miscarriage, or euthanasia or any act which could cause the death of human foetus or embryo, for any reason.''