The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched an investigation of a major health system in Michigan based on allegations that an organizational healthcare provider within that system allegedly fired a medical professional for exercising her Federally protected rights of conscience. The medical professional allegedly requested religious accommodations from certain employment practices, such as practices requiring use of patient pronouns that do not align with the patient’s sex, and from assisting in certain sex trait modification procedures, which she opposed due to her religious beliefs. OCR facilitates and coordinates the Department’s enforcement of the Federal healthcare conscience protection statutes and certain religious nondiscrimination statutes. The Federal healthcare conscience protection statutes protect individuals, healthcare entities, and providers from discrimination in healthcare by government or government-funded entities based on the exercise of religious beliefs or moral convictions. OCR initiated the investigation announced today under conscience protection laws collectively known as the Church Amendments, opens in a new tab [PDF, 23 KB].