(LifeSiteNews) – A Catholic medical student is suing because she was ejected from a graduate program at Springfield College in Massachusetts over her pro-life beliefs.
The College Fix reported that Alina Thopurathu was working toward becoming a physician’s assistant when, during a clinical rotation, objected to observing a second-trimester abortion but was made to do so anyway, causing emotional distress. She later objected in a written evaluation that she should have been warned in advance and given the option of refusing.
“I was very overwhelmed by this experience. However, I was too afraid to speak up because I didn’t want to cause a (scene). In the future, I believe students should be asked if they are comfortable seeing a D&E rather than being assigned the procedure without patient information,” she maintained.
The lawsuit alleges that school officials responded by beginning a “campaign against Ms. Thopurathu, sabotaging her stellar academic record and ultimately culminating in her dismissal from the program” despite the fact that she ultimately received a positive overall grade for her rotation.
In a meeting with Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper, Thourathu says she was pressured into signing documents, including one that changed her rotation grade to “incomplete.”
Things worsened when, on the recommendation of the administration, she sought a short-term leave of absence due to anxiety, was given far less leave time than is customarily allowed, and made to take a second rotation, on which she scored worse. She was dismissed from the program on the pretext of failing two clinical rotations (one of which she actually passed).
Thopurathu’s lawsuit seeks $500,000 in damages, including lost tuition.
One of the most liberal states in the union, Massachusetts is notoriously hostile to both the right to life and to conscience rights. The state spent $1 million searching for civil rights violations committed by pro-life pregnancy centers but failed to find any, legislation is pending to end religious exemptions for childhood vaccinations, and a Massachusetts school district recently got away with hiding an 11-year-old girl’s “social transitioning” from her parents.
