Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo’s Story

Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo became a nurse to save lives. She chose nursing over other, potentially more lucrative career paths because of her passion for helping patients and assisting in a variety of specialized procedures with excellence.

Cathy is also a devout Catholic. Her faith shapes the way she lives, including her work in serving patients. And because of her beliefs, Cathy is committed to helping her patients and is firmly against abortion.

But her world crumbled when her supervisors demanded that she end a life through assisting in abortion or lose her job. No one should be put in this unthinkable position, and Alliance Defending Freedom represented Cathy to help ensure that other nurses at her hospital never would again.

Meet Cathy Cenzon-DeCarlo

Cathy was born and raised in the Philippines, where she was immersed in the religious culture of her community. She and her family are devout Catholics, and her uncle even served as a bishop. It goes without saying that faith formed Cathy into who she is.

In addition to the influence of her faith, Cathy experienced a tragedy that would steer the trajectory of her life. When she was in high school, she lived through a devastating earthquake that heavily damaged her school. As she watched medical teams rescue her classmates from the rubble, she decided to pursue a career dedicated to helping others.

After receiving initial training and experience in nursing in the Philippines, Cathy served for a year in the Philippine National Red Cross. She moved to New York to further her nursing career, and in 2004, she was hired as an operating room nurse at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Each step of the way reaffirmed Cathy’s dedication to serving others with excellence. Working as a nurse in New York was one such step Cathy had high hopes for, expecting great opportunities to help others in challenging medical situations and the freedom to do so according to her beliefs.

Cathy’s value of life and commitment to do no harm

When Cathy became a nurse, she expected to care for and protect the lives of every person she treated.

Before Cathy even started at Mount Sinai, she made it clear that she could not assist in abortions. As a devout Catholic, she explained during a job interview that her faith guided her view of preserving human life.

At the time, the hospital assured her that she would never have to compromise her devout Catholic faith by assisting in an abortion. Officials from the hospital did not express any concern about Cathy’s objection. Mount Sinai maintained a written policy allowing employees to decline to participate in abortion, and Cathy filled out a form during the application process, giving her the opportunity to decline.

But times changed.

Cathy was shocked when the hospital that employed her told her that she must assist in the killing of an unborn child.

Cathy was forced to assist in an abortion

One day, almost five years after she was hired, Cathy was told to prepare for a procedure that is common following a miscarriage.

As Cathy was preparing the surgery room, she saw a cart arrive with instruments that she knew could be used for live abortions, not miscarriage care. She called the resident assigned to the case, who informed her that the surgery was an abortion of a live, 22-week-old baby.

The mother had been diagnosed with a condition that Cathy had treated many times without killing the child. Cathy called her supervisor and explained that, consistent with her longstanding, written, religious objection, she could not participate in the abortion.

That supervisor then called her own supervisor, who said that Cathy must participate in the abortion. Cathy’s bosses claimed the abortion was an emergency and was needed to save the mother’s life.

When that supervisor informed Cathy that she would have to assist with the abortion, Cathy reminded her, in tears, of her agreement with the hospital. The abortion was labeled a Category II, meaning it could take place anytime over the next six hours—plenty of time to call another nurse.

But the supervisor insisted that Cathy participate. If Cathy didn’t, her bosses told her she would be charged with “insubordination and patient abandonment,” which would threaten her career and her family’s livelihood.

“They threatened my job and my nursing license if I did not take part in the murder of that baby. I felt violated and betrayed,” Cathy said.

She tearfully begged her bosses to excuse her from participating in the abortion, but they would not budge. Cathy decided to follow the orders to keep her job even though she vehemently objected to them.

Cathy was forced to watch as the doctor removed the baby’s bloody limbs from the mother’s womb. She had to view the baby’s dismembered body parts in a cup and pour saline on them as part of her required duties.

Hospital policies revised to protect the conscience rights of people like Cathy

Cathy filed a grievance with her union and supervisors after she was forced to assist with the abortion, but her supervisors refused to meet with her because she wished to have her lawyer present. Another official later told Cathy that if she wanted to continue working on-call shifts, she must agree to participate in abortions if they are designated as “emergencies.”

Cathy simply couldn’t go along with that.

That night, she found Alliance Defending Freedom. And a few weeks later, with the help of ADF, Ruta & Soulious LLP, and attorney Piero Tozzi, she filed a lawsuit against Mount Sinai Hospital for forcing her to violate her faith. She also filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), citing Mount Sinai’s blatant workplace discrimination.

As a result of the lawsuit and the HHS investigation, Mount Sinai Hospital changed its policies to protect the rights of all medical personnel. The revision to the policy specified that “[i]t is the legal right of any individual to refuse to participate” in abortions, and it put in writing its commitment to abide by federally mandated conscience protections. Now, nurses cannot be forced to participate in any abortions.

Support the right to live and work according to one’s convictions

At a press conference in 2013 after the lawsuit had ended, Cathy reflected, “In the Philippines, I grew up under the Marxist regime where people were afraid to voice their opinions. My father and uncle opposed corrupt government practices, and I would wake up each day wondering if the military had taken them. We had no way to protect our God-given freedoms.

“I became an American citizen in 2011. I immigrated to this country with the belief that religious freedom and freedom of conscience are sacred. Without freedom that we can really protect, this country would no longer be the America of my dreams. Patients and doctors should be able to choose healthcare that heals instead of kills.”

She’s right. No one should be forced to violate their deeply held beliefs, and no one should be forced to choose between their job and their faith. As Cathy has said, “You cannot force your medical personnel, your nursing personnel to assist in abortions that are against every moral fiber of their being.”

Cathy stood up for her rights and the rights of other medical professionals to work according to their convictions. Will you stand up for the right to live and work according to the truth?