Stockholm, Sweden, Apr 18, 2017 / 13:28 pm
A Swedish midwife who refused to perform abortions has lost another court decision, but her supporters say the court neglected her freedom of conscience.
"The desire to protect life is what leads many midwives and nurses to enter the medical profession in the first place," said Robert Clarke, Director of European Advocacy for ADF International. "Instead of forcing desperately needed midwives out of their profession, governments should safeguard the moral convictions of medical staff."
Religious freedom advocates argue that midwives – who specialize in pregnancy and childbirth – often choose their profession because they want to bring new life into the world, and they should not be forced to end life against their beliefs.
Midwife Ellinor Grimmark charged that three different medical clinics in Sweden's southern Joenkoeping County unjustly denied her employment because of her objections to assisting in abortions.