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Christian Hospital Fires Whistleblower
Crosswalk.com
By Candice McGarvey
Women's Channel Editor
September 10, 2001
"Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let
them die." Prov. 24:11
Crosswalk.com Women's Channel - Nurse Jill Stanek was recently fired from Christ
Hospital in Illinois after 2 years of speaking out against the hospital’s live
birth abortion procedures. The hospital had been inducing labor for mothers who
wanted to terminate their pregnancies after their first trimester and leaving
the infants who survived the procedure (which happens in approximately 1 out of
every 3 cases) to die alone in a room where soiled linens were stored. Stanek
has since been the subject of considerable media attention and testified before
Congress twice, including the hearing for the Born Alive Infant Act of 2000
which passed the Senate in an overwhelming majority. Her Resolve After
she made Christ Hospital’s atrocious procedures known, one would have thought
that Stanek would resign from her job. But she instead decided to continue
working there to avoid the perception that she was simply a disgruntled former
employee as she brought public attention to live birth abortions. While Stanek
was still working at the hospital, she experienced verbal persecution (she calls
them barbs) as a result of her stance. Various attempts to intimidate her did
not shake her conviction that God had purposely placed her there. In an
interview with Beverly LaHaye Today, Stanek
cited Proverbs 24:11-12 as her main motivation:
“Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let
them die. Don't try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn't know about
it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul,
and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they
have done.“
She received two “final warnings” from her employer, each one lasting a year
during which time she could be terminated for any infraction. Before this
dispute, Stanek’s personnel record was exemplary, including many favorable
comments from supervisors and peers. Last month, one particular news story about
Stanek received considerable attention and painted the hospital in a negative
light. Shortly after the story was printed, Stanek’s job was terminated.
Her legal counsel plans to pursue a wrongful termination suit based upon the
fact that employees are protected in their right to comment on the questionable
practices of an employer.
When asked if it was worth losing her job to continue standing up for what she
believed, Stanek made the poignant observation that she really had no choice. In
the LaHaye interview, she said “I don’t get how people could have more fear
of man than they do of God. In my lifetime, I have been disobedient just like
everyone else, and I know the shame and guilt of that. I would much rather
endure the pain of these little barbs than endure the guilt of disobedience. I
think the barbs are much easier to live with. I’m in a war of words and
that’s nothing compared to what other Christians (throughout history) have had
to endure.”
Her Impact
Despite the fact that live birth abortions continue throughout the country,
Stanek’s efforts have not been in vain as she has persistently chipped away at
the foundations of the culture of death. The general public has become more
aware over the past two years of a procedure that not even Stanek knew about
until she had spent a year as a nurse at Christ Hospital. Other nurses’
stories (such as the case of Baby
Hope ) indicate that many nurses across the country may be unaware of the
live abortions taking place in their hospitals. Stanek is bringing attention to
the matter through her Congressional testimonies and appearances on national
television and radio shows.
By forcing this issue into the arena of public debate, the arguments of those
who support live birth abortion have been exposed for their illogical reasoning.
For example, in an article from the Daily
Southtown, reporter Kristen McQueary quotes Betty V. Holcomb, co-president
of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice-Illinois as saying, “I find
it disturbing that (Stanek) would violate patients' privacy by discussing what
takes place in operating rooms in the hospital." In fact, Stanek insists
that she never broke confidentiality of patients because she never gave names of
parents or babies to the media. She simply explained what happened to anonymous
infants. Holcomb continues, “When she states that something is alive, what
does she mean by 'alive?' What is her definition of 'baby?' " Alive? Baby?
Only in a world of sliding truths would the definitions of such words be
questioned.
Jill Stanek’s whistleblowing has influenced Christ Hospital which – despite
its persistence in this seeming infanticide -- has begun to bend under public
scrutiny. The hospital has changed its policy regarding acceptable reasons for
performing a live birth abortion. Before Stanek’s publicity, Christ Hospital
allowed abortions for a variety of abnormalities that were not fatal, including
retardation, spina bifida, and HIV infection. Now the procedure is only applied
when a mother was a victim of rape or incest, when her health is threatened, or
when the fetus’ abnormalities are fatal.
Her Future
Stanek’s plans for future employment are still up in the air, but her crusade
is not over. On Beverly LaHaye Today she said, “I will continue to speak out
against [Christ Hospital]. I believe that my firing was either engineered or
allowed by God and I intend to use this … But I’m not sure I want to go back
to a hospital setting [for employment.] If I do, I will only work for a Catholic
hospital. I’m not Catholic, but I sure have learned that just having a
Christian name on a hospital doesn’t mean much as far as being assured that
your employer won’t engage in unethical practices.”
Simply
Left to Die
How
America Sees Abortion
Meaning
of Life at Heart of Stem-Cell Debate
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