Will Swedish midwife’s case birth new pro-life protections in Europe?
A Swedish midwife denied a job because of her pro-life views is taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights. On three separate occasions, potential employers refused to hire Ellinor Grimmark, and last week the Swedish Labor Court upheld those decisions, declining to consider international conscience protections, her attorneys claim.
Rebecca Ahlstrand, an attorney with Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers representing Grimmark, said her client was disappointed but not surprised by the Swedish court’s April 12 decision. Media depictions of Grimmark have not been kind, exacerbating the caricature of someone opposed to abortion, Ahlstrand said. And the few supporters she does have wonder whether her case will have broader implications for Christians trying to live out their faith in the very secular country.
“The media climate is very hostile and several government representatives and...