Former UMH-West employee files lawsuit, claims system violated religious rights
Fox 17 Unfiltered
- West Michigan
Posted at 9:29
PM, Oct 13, 2022 and last updated 7:35 PM, Oct 13, 2022
By: Marisa Oberle
GRAND RAPIDS,
Mich. — A former University of Michigan Health-West (UMH-West) employee says
she was fired for no reason other than her religious beliefs.
Attorneys
representing Valerie Kloosterman filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday.
It alleges the
health system violated her first and fourteenth amendment rights, as well as
her rights under the Michigan constitution.
Kloosterman was a
physician’s assistant, who had worked at Metro Health Caledonia since 2004.
According to the
lawsuit, she was fired in August 2021 after UMH-West required her to go through
diversity and inclusion training, which contained a requirement to affirm
statements related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Kloosterman expressed
that her Christian faith, as well as her opinions as a medical professional,
prevented her from agreeing to that, so she asked for a religious
accommodation.
After a meeting
with the health system, she was terminated.
“I can’t
compromise that,” said Kloosterman. “It’s not something that I can say, ‘Well,
that’s fine in my day to day life, I don’t have to believe that or I don’t have
to abide by what the world says just simply because I step into the doors of
the University of Michigan.’”
The lawsuit says
during Kloosterman’s career, she had served patients from all backgrounds
without issue, including people in the LGBTQ+
community.
It claims there’s
a history of non-religious accommodations at the clinic, and Kloosterman also
offered to only say a person’s name during appointments or refer to them as
“patient” in paperwork as a possible solution.
“No one ever
asked for a referral for sex altering drugs or procedures,” said Kayla Toney,
Kloosterman’s attorney. “This was all hypothetical, but when Valerie spoke up
about her religious beliefs and told the University of Michigan that she
just couldn’t violate her conscious by participating in these types of
referrals for sex altering drugs and procedures, they attacked
her religious beliefs.”
The lawsuit
includes a notice from the U.S.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
It says the
office declined to proceed with its investigation into a claim Kloosterman
filed, although it notes that did not make make any determination about whether
further inquiries would establish any violations of the statute.
UMH-West declined
an interview, but sent a statement to FOX 17.
“University of Michigan
Health-West hasn’t seen a lawsuit from Ms. Kloosterman and cannot comment on
claims that haven’t been formally made,” said a UMH-West spokesperson.
“However, if they are similar to her claims filed with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, they will also be without merit.”
Connecting the Dots:
James J.
Duderstadt is a president emeritus for the University of
Michigan and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think
tank).
Susan M. Collins is
a professor at the University of Michigan and a nonresident senior
fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Rebecca M. Blank was
a professor at the University of Michigan and a senior fellow at
the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open
Society.
Google
Books Library Project is an initial partner with the University
of Michigan and the Google Inc. project.
Google Inc. was
a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Sheryl K.
Sandberg was a VP for Google Inc. and a trustee at
the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Mark B. McClellan was
a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and
a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Constance J.
Horner was a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution (think
tank) and is a director at Pfizer Inc.
Suzanne Nora
Johnson is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank)
and a director at Pfizer Inc.
Amy W. Schulman is
a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the EVP
& general counsel for Pfizer Inc.
Carlos Pascual was
the VP for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the U.S.
ambassador for Mexico.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings
Institution (think tank), the Robin Hood Foundation, the International
Rescue Committee and Demos.
George Soros was
the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Clifford S.
Asness is a director at the International Rescue Committee,
a leadership council member for the Robin Hood Foundation and supported Same-Sex
Marriage in New York.
Demos was a funder
for the National Education Association.
John I. Wilson was
an executive director for the National Education Association, and
is a director at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International
Rescue Committee and the Center for American Progress.
George Soros was
the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and was a
supporter for the Center for American Progress.
Melody C. Barnes was
the EVP for the Center for American Progress, the domestic policy
council, director for the Barack Obama administration, the
communications and legislative affairs director for the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and is Barack
Obama’s golf partner.
Resources: Past
Research
The University of
Michigan's Tolerance Problem (Past Research on the University
of Michigan)
WEDNESDAY,
FEBRUARY 18, 2015
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-university-of-michigans-tolerance.html
IG Farben / Bayer /
Pfizer / Israel (Past Research on the FDA, Pfizer
& The Soros Funded Think Tank, All Networking)
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER
19, 2021
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2021/09/ig-farben-bayer-pfizer-israel.html
Mexico Legalizes
Same-Sex Marriage: Marriage Not for ‘Procreation’ (Past
Research on Mexico, Same-Sex Marriage & the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE
24, 2015
https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2015/06/mexico-legalizes-same-sex-marriage.html
SunTrust Banks (Bailout
Company) (Past Research on the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER
1, 2013
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