What would you do if you were a nurse and pro-life advocate but was ordered into surgery to assist in an

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abortion?  If you were told the patient’s life hung in the balance and your refusal to do your job would further jeopardize the patient, would that make a difference?  And what if the pregnancy was already twenty-two weeks along; would that complicate matters even more?

This is exactly what happened to a nurse in Brooklyn, NY.  Shortly after arriving at Cedars-Sinai hospital for her scheduled shift, she was ordered to provide assistance in an abortion.  In a federal lawsuit, Catherina Cenzon-DeCarlo claims not only was she forced to go against her morals and religious beliefs, but that the abortion wasn’t necessary, at least at the time it was completed.  The lawsuit goes on to say that she pleaded with the physicians to find another nurse who wasn’t so opposed to the procedure but was told if she didn’t accompany the surgeon into the operating room, she could very well lose her job due to patient neglect.  Against her beliefs, she did as she was told.  Now she’s fighting back.

Her lawsuit  says that she put in writing her vehement opposition to abortion and declared she would in no way participate in any abortion procedures.  If that’s the case, the question begging an answer is why wouldn’t the hospital select another nurse to assist?  And if what this nurse claims in her lawsuit that the procedure wasn’t a matter of life and death, what about the patient?  Was she told it was her life or the baby’s?  If the nurse’s lawyers can prove it wasn’t absolutely necessary, odds are, Cedars-Sinai is looking at another lawsuit, this time, from the patient.  Assuming the patient wanted the baby she was carrying - after all, she was already twenty-two weeks along - this woman must now live the fact an abortion she didn’t want was forced upon her by a doctor who chose to decide for her.

Cenzon-DeCarlo has federal “conscience rules” on her side.  Before leaving office, President Bush changed the laws for hospitals that received federal funding.  In short, unless and until a medical facility agreed to respect its workers’ religious and moral beliefs for controversial procedures, it would receive no federal funds.  As of now, these rules are in place; however, many expect President Obama to modify these restrictions, especially since Health and Human Services is accepting ideas regarding proposed changes.

In the meantime, this nurse continues her employment at the hospital.  The lawsuit is asking, among other things, she be allowed to once again work the overtime hours that were suddenly given to co-workers.

Seems the Supermax Prison in Colorado seems to be dominating the headlines these days.  Richard Reid,

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also known as the Shoe-Bomber, was convicted in 2003 of trying to detonate a bomb on an American Airlines scheduled to land in Miami.  Because of a weeks-long hunger strike, prison officials have now decided medical intervention was required to prevent him from killing himself.  He is reported to still be on his hunger strike, despite being intravenously fed and hydrated.

He filed a federal lawsuit that claimed he wasn’t allowed to follow his Sunni Muslim faith since being in custody.  Despite requests from the prison for the judge to dismiss the suit, a US District judge has refused to do so.  He’s currently in the prison’s medical wing and will likely remain there until he abandons his hunger strike, if he ever does.

Reid isn’t the only notorious prisoner who’s in the prison’s custody and making headlines.

Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, was convicted of crime in 1996 after having been the target of a 15-plus year manhunt.  He sent 16 bombs, killed three people and injured 23.  He’s now going to court in an attempt to prevent his personal diaries from being auctioned.  He’s already lost one court battle, but it’s now up the Supreme Court to decide the fate of these documents, should he decide to appeal.  If he does choose to appeal, he only has until Monday to do so.  If he loses there, his diaries will be auctioned and all of the proceeds will go to his victims.  It’s said there are close to 40,000 pages that he handwrote over the years.  Along with the diaries, the hoodie jacket and sunglasses that were drawn in the now-familiar sketch that was used in a worldwide distribution in an effort to locate him before his capture are also expected to be sold.  Creepy as it sounds, you can be sure there are many who would pay a pretty penny to own these things.

Surely there are ulterior motives behind their motives.  Reid is likely doing his best to further his cause with his hunger strike and for all anyone knows, there’s some hidden message in every move he makes that some extremist is deciphering.  Kaczynski is probably less likely concerned with who sees his personal thoughts before his capture and is more upset with where the money from this sale will go, or rather where it won’t go.  Either way, neither of these two will ever see the light of day as free men.