Another case raising the issue of so-called conscience exemptions: this week, a group of 12 hospital nurses in New Jersey brought suit against their employer, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), for requiring them to participate in abortions. The plaintiffs allege that the hospital’s actions violate the “Church Amendment,” a federal law which forbids hospitals receiving federal funds, like UMDNJ, from requiring employees to participate in abortions if participation would violate the employees’ “religious beliefs or moral convictions.” The plaintiffs allege that the hospital’s actions violate state law as well. As my friend Rick Garnett at Mirror of Justice notes, this seems to be a pretty blatant violation of law, but, based on a student note I read recently, it’s not all that unusual. The complaint in the case, Danquah v. UMDNJ, is here. — MLM