The 3 - September 11, 2022

This week's edition of The 3, spotlight three stories of relevance to the Christian community, includes an instance in which a medical professional who requested a religious exemption from having to provide products that violate her conscience and was fired has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, a major drug-store chain. Also, a Christian school is being harassed for require students to follow a code of conduct that is consistent with Biblical teaching on sexuality.  And, a major social media platform has taken down the account of a provider of online pornography.

Nurse practitioner loses job over contraception flap

We have seen numerous instances in which people of faith, making decisions based on their deeply held religious beliefs, have faced punishment because of these conscience-based actions.

The Christian Post reports on a nurse-practitioner who works for the urgent care arm of CVS Pharmacies.  Her name is Paige Casey, and she had asked for an exemption to company policy that would have required her to provide contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs.  Initially, that request had been granted, but the company reversed course last year; the Post article said: "...the company announced in August 2021 that it would 'no longer accommodate employees with religious convictions against prescribing abortifacients, hormonal contraceptives, and other forms of birth control that can cause abortions.'"  

Casey was fired, and a lawsuit has been filed by Alliance Defending Freedom.  The article relates:

The lawsuit contends that CVS wrongfully refused Casey's request for an exemption to a policy requiring MinuteClinic staff to dispense contraception and abortion-inducing drugs and then fired her for not following the policy.

ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle said:

"Paige had a spotless record of caring for patients, yet CVS decided to abruptly fire her, solely because of her religious belief that life begins at conception. Virginia law protects the freedom of everyone to work without fear of being fired for their religious beliefs prohibiting participation in abortion."

Christian school stands strong amidst threats

A private Christian school certainly has the right to require that students act in accordance with Biblical principles, but thanks to a national news story on a particular school in Florida attempting to paint the school as being intolerant, the school has come under fire.

The Washington Stand reports that the incident occurred several weeks ago. Barry McKeen is the administrator of Grace Christian School in Valrico, FL; the article says:

The threats came in reaction to an article by NBC News, which published several paragraphs of a June 6 email in which McKeen reiterated to school parents the school’s commitment to biblical sexuality.

Here are some highlights of the e-mail that McKeen sent out:

• "...one’s biological sex must be affirmed, and no attempts should be made to physically change, alter, or disagree with one’s biological gender..."

• "...Students in school will be referred to by the gender on their birth certificate and be referenced in name in the same fashion..."

• “We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgender identity/lifestyle, self-identification, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful in the sight of God and the church."

• “Students who are found participating in these lifestyles will be asked to leave the school immediately.”

McKeen says he has worked for the school for 21 years. He stated: “We have had these policies in our school since day number one, in the early 1970s,” adding, “God has spoken on those issues explicitly, aggressively.” He said: “it is our policy now. It will be our policy going forward because … God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not change.”

Porn site account removed from Instagram

The mainstreaming of pornography on digital platforms has been advancing, but encountered one roadblock in a recent decision by the mammoth social media site, Instagram.  The group, Enough is Enough, reported that:

Pornhub, which had 13.1 million Instagram followers, continues to be the target of numerous lawsuits, survivor accounts and investigative reports alleging it hosts child sexual abuse material, filmed rape and sex trafficking content.

Instagram did the right thing by removing the account, and we are hopeful they will continue to prioritize efforts to protect the innocence of children, youth and all who have been exploited.

It is also our hope other businesses will follow Instagram's lead and join the ranks of Mastercard, Visa and others who have cut ties with Pornhub in a display of corporate responsibility.

National Center on Sexual Exploitation applauded the move, stating on its website that it "...said that Instagram’s decision to remove Pornhub from its platform indicates that the company understands the mounting evidence of Pornhub’s criminality." The site notes that, "The National Center on Sexual Exploitation, along with a group of international advocates and survivors...have been sharing evidence of criminality on Pornhub with Instagram and requested that the social media company remove Pornhub."