Nurse Claims Hospital Forced Her To Help With Abortion

A nurse is suing Mount Sinai Hospital, claiming the institution "forced" her to assist with an abortion, despite her pleas. The Post reports, "The hospital even exaggerated the patient's condition and claimed the woman could die if the nurse, a devout Catholic, did not follow orders, the nurse alleges in a lawsuit."

Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo tells the Post, "It felt like a horror film unfolding," and says she's had nightmares and trouble sleeping since the May 24 incident. Apparently she asked her supervisor to find a replacement nurse, but "Bosses told the weeping Cenzon-DeCarlo the patient was 22 weeks into her pregnancy and had preeclampsia, a condition marked by high blood pressure that can lead to seizures or death if left untreated," and "claimed that the mother could die if [Cenzon-DeCarlo] did not assist in the abortion." From the Post:

But the nurse, the niece of a Filipino bishop, contends that the patient's life was not in danger. She argued that the patient was not even on magnesium therapy, a common treatment for preeclampsia, and did not have problems indicating an emergency.

Her pleas were rejected, and instead she was threatened with career-ending charges of insubordination and patient abandonment, according to the lawsuit... Feeling threatened, Cenzon-DeCarlo assisted in the procedure.

She said she later learned that the hospital's own records deemed the procedure "Category II," which is not considered immediately life threatening.

"I felt violated and betrayed," she recalled. "I couldn't believe that this could happen."

Cenzon-DeCarlo, who also claims she made it clear she would not assist with abortions during her 2004 interview, says supervisors essentially gave her an ultimatum: Performs abortions and get overtime shifts. She added, "I emigrated to this country in the belief that here religious freedom is sacred. Doctors and nurses shouldn't be forced to abandon their beliefs and participate in abortion in order to keep their jobs." Christian group the Alliance Defense Fund is advising Cenzon-Decarlo.

The NYCLU's Galen Sherwin said the issue of "emergency" is key, "The law provides protections for individuals who object to performing abortions, but at the same time, health-care professionals are not permitted to abandon patients." The Post also looks at "conscience rules" that protect health care workers who object on religious or moral grounds. President Obama is set to overturn the clause from former President Bush's term; proponents of the rules say it protects workers from discrimination while opponents say it's too broad and could allow workers to refuse to participate in blood transfusions or even selling medication.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on July 26, 2009 2:12 PM

Comments [rss]

LadyLiberty1

I am a Registered Nurse and have worked in a variety of clinical settings, including a large, city hospital.

I have witnessed live births, and have also observed a spontaneous abortion, that is, unplanned and accidental. The patient, very frightened, passed a 2 month old fetus in a toilet. The fetus was fully formed, of course, a growing, living thing that died. That woman was devastated. Life begins at the moment of conception. Proven scientifically, it is irrefutable.

Abortion kills life, regardless if the fetus is viable or not, out of the womb. A 22 week old fetus, is fully developed and capable of life outside the womb.

An abortion at 22 weeks is a horrific process. I'll wager none of you have even come close to seeing this - or, a live birth, or, anything close to what had transpired.

This RN is FIRST a citizen, who was traumatized because she was forced to participate in the process. What about euthanasia? Do you think all medical personnel automatically HAVE to participate in that?

What about applying restraints to a 10 year old out of control? How about medicating someone against their will? Think about it. Who are you, any of you, to judge this nurse?

Fact is, a 22 week abortion is destruction of life. In fact, if it were a case of pre-eclampsia, the birth could have been induced, mother supported medically, and the baby, placed in neo-natal care. But, in fact, this was not the case. That little precious human being was literally ripped apart. Imagine. Or can't you?

Humanity, respect for life, is an individual choice. The nurse explained her views from the beginning. So, following the logic here, no matter what, an employer can threaten someone who has asked for immunity because of her Catholic beliefs? This is how you really think? Very troubling to me.

How ironic, PETA worried about OBama killing a fly, but folks out of touch think nothing of killing a human being. Plus, think of this: what about withholding treatment for the elderly? Is that "morally" wrong? Is it a religious belief? Wow. Degradation and a complete breakdown of decency, no respect for life. So sad. Caring about the preservation of life is not merely a about religion, it is much more than that. So stop the stupid debate in an attempt to demonize this nurse, and to vilify "religion"

dadoc

As a surgeon who does NOT perform abortions, counsels my patients to the best of my knowledge and skills, and whose wife had an emergency Csection years ago on Memorial Day weekend while going down the tubes from eclampsia (kidney & liver dysfunction, mental status changes, monitoring showing stress on the kids, a BAD situation), all I can say is pull this nurse's license and send her back to the bosom of the Bishop. There is no religion in the OR, there is just knowledge, skills and judgement. Nothing trumps the best interests of the patient, not even your imaginary friends. You have nightmares? You're stressed? Well that "six-hour wait" could have led to a dead baby AND mother. You put your imaginary friend before your patient, abandoned your patient, and that makes you unfit to expect the trust of that person on the table. Sounds more like a pissy overtime squabble turning into someone who should NOT be a healthcare professional pulling the fable card. I guess the race card wasn't available.

LadyLiberty1

I am curious, dadoc, about your viewpoints on this subject? Are you an MD, DO, or?

If, as you state, you are a surgeon who does not perform abortions, I assume you are not board certified in obstetrics or gynecology? Most general surgeons do not perform routine abortions?

Do you know, specifically, the facts about this case? You stated your wife had a surgical c-section? Did that happen in the MT Sinai case? Not sure you have a complete grasp of the facts. Rank hath it's privilege, eh?

As for your comment and situation relating to your wife: was the fetus, and I don't know the gestation, ripped apart?

How can you purport to the nurse having "imaginary friends?" Is that your euphemism for God? You're not a believer, I see.

I find it incredible that your intolerance for people who believe and profess faith in a Deity or automatically dismissed in such disdainful terms.

Unbecoming for a surgeon - WAIT! Yes, perhaps, some surgeons I've known are perhaps the most willfully egoistic among us. But, so much for your lack of sensitivity. Rather dramatic and a bit histrionic - even for a surgeon, I'd say.

You certainly don't sound like any of the doctors I've worked with in my 36 plus years as an RN. And finally, "YOUR" OR? Does this possessive pronoun mean you are a Chief of Service?

If, as you say, you are a practitioner, I'll be your patients would be mighty surprised about your attitude. I hope YOU never need a nurse!

dadoc

And yes, had the kids been earlier, and the decision had to be made about terminating the pregnancy and saving my wife's life, I would choose my wife. Luckily for all of us, everybody did fine after a bit of a rough time in the ICU. Sometimes you make rough decisions, but when you do, they should only be based on knowledge and judgement. And this "nurse" thinks that her beliefs, prodded on by her uncle and her lawyer, outweigh the interests of the patient and the best judgement of the physician. I will remember her name. She would never cross the threshold of my OR.

inoyourider

Awesome.

NannyState

This woman needs to get out of the nursing profession. It's called medical science for a reason: only an empirical sensibility can resolve the physical maladies that roll through a hospital's doors on any given day. To be clouded or deluded by one's religious fervor makes one useless to the task. She should be a nun an that's that. Otherwise, she needs to STFU and leave the voodoo at home.

LadyLiberty1

Tell you what. You know nothing about the nursing profession, the gentle healing arts, and far less about nuns. You sound almost sociopathic in your ranting!

"Nannystate" hmm? - apparently, you're a proponent of the new Godless NeoSocialism passing for "progression." Wrong, of course. Delusional and dangerous.

Abortion is the destruction of life. It is truly a human holocaust. Ever see the progression of a human from cell to embryo to fetus to birth? If you did, if you REALLY did, you would understand what MOST Americans support and believe - a greater power, profess some sort of religious belief, and BELIEVE that abortion is, at best, termination of life.

Most do NOT support late term abortion. You can view the short "22 weeks" and see for yourself. It will break your heart. If you have one, my bitter friend...

nynew

the hospital probably could have switched out nurses. but she chose to stay. they could not have fired her for walking out given its "hot topic" status. The law has proven to take the professionals side time and time again and my guess is that Mt Sinai would have done little to punish.

I agree, if she is so opposed, then maybe she should work at an anti-abortion facility. But, she shouldn't have to do so. I do think there should be laws to protect women who are in life threatening situations to make it a liability for someone to refuse this as treatment.

What really bothers me about the Post article are the comments made criticizing the physician's opinion or the patients status. Someone criticizing the timing, another criticizing the severity... God forbid that mother ever sees anything written on that board. We cannot assume anything about that mother or the MD given what is read in that article but as a mother who has had preeclampsia twice, I am offended by the assumptions. I am a Christian. But God help me if I had to make a decision with two children who are alive and born to either carry another and pray for our survival or give up to ensure survive. I deserve that right to choose and so do my children. We don't know the severity or how fast things were progressing. We don't know if the urgency changed quickly even if the paperwork did not have the check mark in the correct box. We don't know if the mother was coherent enough to know that this was needed.

I have worked in a recovery room as an RN. I have recovered women who needed termination for medical reasons, either for their health or because tests show the child would not live. I have recovered women who had elective abortions and those who had complications from elective abortions at an outpatient facility. It's not my place to judge them. As a nurse, I cannot just walk away from a human being who is suffering, whether it was their choice or not. Maybe I'm going to hell for that? But what if we all turned our backs to that woman. What if that woman died? The comments sicken me.

the nurse has every right to file a complaint. But the lawsuit? She chose to stay there. She deserves nothing for her own choice. And no, they don't owe her overtime (she filed the suit after they cut her overtime hours). Why would they give someone overtime when they may not be able to fulfill their needs 100%?

I will pray for that mother.

roe

Good thoughts.

And that's what I thought about the overtime issue too. In the Post, they make it seem as though the hospital blackmailed her. In reality, it makes sense that they would give the hours to someone else that would be willing to perform all assigned surgical procedures, instead of someone who might refuse to do part of her job and require them to scramble to switch the staff around.

LadyLiberty1

A 22 week abortion is not merely a surgical procedure. You really don't know what you are saying. The nurse, if she specialized in labor and delivery, is interested in birthing - NOT in murder. That's what this way, straight up. I am surprised, and frankly, saddened by the degree of ignorance as viewed by the few comments I've seen.

I hope this nurse gets her day in court, and I hope Mt. Sinai suffers economic consequences. Who was the MD who performed this act of violence? I would like to know. I will contact Mt. Sinai about my viewpoints. And think of that little soul who suffered such piteous torment in the name of "progress" and the "law." Simply put, it's a barbaric process and I can only hope Nurse Cenzon-DeCarlo can come to some terms with what she was forced to witness. Some compassion, please? Or is this society, increasingly incapable of sustained value, doomed to a fate by their own creation? Think about it.

nyorker555

As others point out and I agree, she shouldnt be working in a hospital that performs abortions and pays her salary if she believes the hospital is committing a sin against God. I hope her (presumed) lawsuit fails.

Spirit of 76

If American civilization is to have any chance in the future, there will come a time when virtually everything G.W. Bush ever did in the White House will be erased from law. Everything except for the huge aquatic reserve he created in his closing months.

BTW, great job on the servers, Gothamist. I tried to post several times on several different stories and not a single comment took after many minutes of waiting and a reload. We'll see if it works this time.

grandzu

The "right of conscience" rule, based on ambiguous moral, rather than scientific, or medical grounds.

Another one of Bush's brilliant move, this one done as he was heading out the door.

Derekasaurus

I hope you people are never forced to choose between your beliefs and your lively hood.
She knew what the job entailed. She chose a profession that conflicted with her beliefs. People who can't adhere to professional standards of behavior should not become nurses, doctors, pharmacists, soldiers, police officers, etc., and then demand a big payday when they are asked to do their job. At the very least she should have picked an employer that shares her superstitions.

Dwayne Hoover

>I hope you people are never forced to choose between your beliefs and your lively hood.

Then don't become a nurse/doctor/pharamacist. It's like joining the army, then getting into battle and refusing to kill. If she can't deal with it, then quit and go work somewhere else. There's a nursing shortage right now if she hadn't noticed. I certainly wouldn't want to have a nurse who breaks down and cries during an emergency at my hospital, then tries to sue for a nice cash payout. F*k that!

S.D.

Riiiigggghhhhhttt...

That would be the armchair quarter backing I mentioned. Do as your told or face a possible "patient abandonment" charge. Brilliant. Ditto for "Derekasaurus".

Like I said before: I'm curious as to what the review of the patient records (by an independent DR) would show. Did they need to force her to participate or could they have chosen a different nurse?

Say, what galls you people more, that she's just didn't "STFU" and participate in a procedure she finds morally objectionable or the possible "Pay day"?

Regardless of who put the rule in place, no one should be forced to do anything against their will, especially if someone else can be called to in to do it.

As I also said: Either way, she should apply to St. Vincents or another hospital that is inline with her beliefs.

GREGORYABUTLER

I really don't give a good God damn about Nurse Cenzon-De Carlo's personal "moral" beliefs.

It is not her job to cram medieval Roman Catholic dogma down the throats of women who need abortion services!

Abortion is a legal medical procedure in New York State.

Nurse Cenzon-De Carlo's fucking JOB as a surgical nurse is to assist in any and all surgical procedures proscribed by a doctor PERIOD

Her personal superstitions and bigoted beliefs should not get in the way of her DUTY as a New York State licensed registered nurse!

She should do her job or give up her license!

LadyLiberty1

Gregory, exactly what do YOU do for a living? Your vile rhetoric is disturbing on many levels. In fact, you sound very, very angry. It takes the skills of a nurse to determine that you, my misguided friend, have truly delusional thinking.

To suggest that the nurse was somehow attempting to shove "dogma" down anyone's throat is simply ludicrous. The nurse did not attempt to convey her beliefs in the setting, not to the patient, to suggest otherwise is nonsensical. Were you there?

That is what is truly amazing about some of the so-called talking points in here - simply, your statements totally distort the facts that are known.

You are very presumptuous and, since you chose to use such profanity, seem to have to rely on noise-making than common sense, or intellect. In fact, I'd say there's a certain raw depravity in your, er, observations, sir. Go get some fresh air!

roe

Not at all.

She chose to become a nurse.

She chose to work in a hospital where she was aware abortions were performed.

If she was not prepared to perform the tasks the hospital required, she should not have taken a job there, she should have sought work in a religious facility that shared her beliefs, or should have found another profession.

Time is of the essence in the hospital sometimes. What if that patient had died while this nurse was delaying the procedure with her antics? Would her God be okay with that?

If one really feels strongly about one's religious or personal convictions, one finds a job that supports them. Really. I have friends who are strict Christians who flat-out refuse to work for certain companies. Why didn't this nurse do the same? One doesn't take a job for the money and then scream about how it's conflicting with their views. And there are plenty of Catholic hospitals and medical facilities, or she could have chosen to work for a nursing home or another facility where abortions aren't offered.

LadyLiberty1

I can assure you that abortion is not a part of a nurses' educational curriculum. For the clinical component of obstetrical nursing, student nurses do not participate in abortions. Student nurses are rotated through labor and delivery, and surgery as it pertains to delivery. To state otherwise, is simply a lie.

inoyourider

Another scumbag looking for a quick payoff.

Fuck you and your frivolous lawsuit.

"Its SOOO terrible but give me some money and everything will be all right"

Keep your superstitions at home, practice medicine according to the law at a hospital.

santijose

guess if she is suing Mount Sinai Hospital and wins, God was forgiving of her sins and thanked her with lots of $$$. God is good.

Mr Mel

A new heroine for the ultra religious freaks. She should have been at Sarah Palin's picnic.

S.D.

I'm curious as to what the review of the patient records (by an independent DR) would show. If it was not an emergency and it can be shown that they just didn't want to pay for another staffer, Mount Sinai is screwed.

Either way, she should apply to St. Vincents or another hospital that is inline with her beliefs

Man, I *so* hope the Jackasses in the GOP doesn't jump in...

GREGORYABUTLER

Actually, she should resign her job and surrender her nursing license!

I don't want zealots like her cramming their personal superstitious beliefs down the throats of patients!

pandarelated

hey, great, i hope someday when i need medical help. the doctor, and or nurse can refuse cause it doesn't jive with their religion. sounds like she should become a nun.. verse a nurse..