News Release
For Immediate Release: 2.8.22
Contact: Lacey McNiel, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Bad Medicine: Nurse Practitioner Fired by CVS After Seeking Religious Accommodation from Dispensing Contraception
First Liberty Institute files charge of religious discrimination with federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Washington, DC—First Liberty Institute filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) against CVS Pharmacy on behalf of Robyn Strader, a nurse practitioner. CVS terminated Strader’s employment after she sought a religious accommodation from prescribing contraception, an accommodation CVS had granted for the previous six years.
You can read the charge here.
“The corporate canceling of faithful religious Americans like Robyn must end,” said Christine Pratt, Counsel for First Liberty Institute. “CVS accommodated Robyn for more than six years without any problems. It’s bad medicine to force religious health care professionals to choose between their faith and their job, especially at a time when we need as many health care professionals as we can get.”
Robyn Strader was a nurse practitioner employed by a CVS MinuteClinic in Keller, Texas since 2015. For six years she operated under a religious accommodation from prescribing contraception. On the few occasions someone requested such a prescription from her, she would simply refer them to another nurse practitioner at her location or to another CVS MinuteClinic located 2 miles away. Then, in August 2021, CVS suddenly announced that it would no longer honor religious accommodations related to pregnancy prevention services regardless of circumstances. On October 31, 2021, CVS terminated Robyn for not prescribing contraceptives.
Robyn has an extensive background in health care and education. She taught science at the high school and pre-professional levels, and she has multiple degrees, including a PhD in Health Education from the University of Toledo Medical Center; a Doctor of Chiropractic from Parker University; a Masters in Nursing, Education, and Family Nurse Practitioner from Texas Woman’s University; and an MBA from Texas Woman’s University.
In its complaint to the EEOC, First Liberty attorneys state, “CVS discriminated against Ms. Strader on the basis of religion when it prospectively preempted all requests for religious accommodations related to contraception prescription, derided her religious beliefs and pressured her to abandon them, discontinued a six-year religious accommodation without cause, refused to consider her request for an ongoing religious accommodation, failed to engage with her about possible accommodations, and terminated her because of her religious beliefs. In these ways, CVS violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.”
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact Lacey McNiel at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
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