Pacific Justice Institute Appeals Case Challenging Government Review of Religious Beliefs

Federal court to hear challenge involving nurse denied religious accommodation by state-run hospital

PORTLAND, Ore. - Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is continuing its defense of religious liberty before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in the case of MacDonald v. Oregon Health& Science University, a lawsuit brought on behalf of a nurse who was denied religious accommodation from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The case involves Brittany MacDonald, a registered nurse who worked in the Mother Baby Unit at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), a government-run medical institution that provides a broad range of healthcare services, including labor and delivery, neonatal care, and abortion-related procedures.

In 2021, OHSU implemented a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for employees. According to the lawsuit, the hospital also established criteria identifying certain religious objections that would not qualify for a religious accommodation. Among those objections were concerns regarding the use of fetal cell lines derived from aborted children in the research, testing, or development of COVID-19 vaccines.

Ms. MacDonald requested a religious accommodation based on her sincerely held Christian beliefs and her objection to benefiting from products connected to abortion. OHSU denied her request, and she subsequently filed suit challenging the hospital's actions.

The lawsuit argues that government employers may not evaluate the validity of an employee's religious beliefs or deny accommodations based on disagreement with the specific religious basis for those beliefs. The case raises significant questions concerning protections afforded under the First Amendment, the Free Exercise Clause, and federal protections against religious discrimination.

After the case was dismissed in federal district court, PJI filed an appeal. Oral argument is scheduled for June 9, 2026, in Seattle.

Brad Dacus, founder and president of Pacific Justice Institute, emphasized the importance of the appeal:

"Religious liberty means more than simply allowing individuals to identify with a faith. It includes the right to live according to one's sincerely held religious convictions without government officials deciding which beliefs are acceptable and which are not. This case presents an important opportunity to reaffirm those constitutional protections."

Ray Hacke, PJI's Oregon-based staff attorney and counsel for Ms. MacDonald, added:

"Federal courts have consistently recognized that government employers are not permitted to favor some religious beliefs over others. Brittany's request was based on sincerely held religious convictions. This appeal asks whether a public employer may deny a religious accommodation because it disagrees with the theological basis for an employee's beliefs. We believe the Constitution provides a clear answer."

The outcome of the appeal could have significant implications for public employees seeking religious accommodations and for the ability of government institutions to evaluate requests based on matters of faith and conscience.

Pacific Justice Institute continues to defend individuals across the nation whose religious freedoms are affected by government action.

Learn more about Pacific Justice Institute's work defending religious liberties:

WWW.PJI.ORG.

If your religious rights are being violated, contact Pacific Justice Institute by completing a

GET HELP FORM.

To help support PJI's continued legal advocacy defending religious liberty, parental rights, and constitutional freedoms, we invite you to SUPPORT PJI with a tax-deductible gift.