After working there for 18 years, pediatric nurse Sandra Rojas lost her job with the Winnebago County Public Health Clinic. In 2015, Winnebago County Public Health Administrator Dr. Sandra Martell fired Rojas for refusing to take on duties including abortion referrals and contraception.
The Court noted in its decision that by "vigorously" pursuing this case over the past five years, Winnebago County has only increased the attorney fees that it must now pay.
“Nurse Rojas’s case set significant precedent and now stands as a seminal case under the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act,” said attorney Noel Sterett, who was part of the team that filed the case on Rojas's behalf. “The Court’s fee award will hopefully encourage other public and private health care employers to respect their employees’ rights of conscience.”