Catholic student ousted from grad program after refusing to observe abortion, lawsuit claims
A former student at Springfield College in Massachusetts has filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful dismissal from a graduate program due to her religious objections to abortion.
Alina Thopurathu, a Catholic and physician’s assistant candidate, claims she was dismissed after refusing to observe a second-trimester abortion during a clinical rotation, according to MassLive.
A former student at Springfield College in Massachusetts has filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful dismissal from a graduate program due to her religious objections to abortion.
Alina Thopurathu, a Catholic and physician’s assistant candidate, claims she was dismissed after refusing to observe a second-trimester abortion during a clinical rotation, according to MassLive.
Thopurathu is seeking $500,000 in damages through her lawsuit, which lists Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper and three officials with the physician’s assistant program as defendants.
The lawsuit alleges that, after Thopurathu objected to seeing an abortion and submitted feedback, the defendants launched a campaign against her.
“In November 2022, Ms. Thopurathu submitted feedback about her experience on a particular clinical rotation involving a sensitive medical procedure,” the lawsuit reportedly states.
“Thereafter,” it continues, “defendants unlawfully and without cause or justification, began a campaign against Ms. Thopurathu, sabotaging her stellar academic record and ultimately culminating in her dismissal from the program.”
According to its website, Springfield College officially “does not discriminate” against students who have had abortions.
In 2022, The Springfield Student, the college’s student newspaper, published an article describing how abortion pills were not available on campus and directed students seeking abortions to travel about 5.6 miles to the nearest Planned Parenthood.
“The closest Planned Parenthood is 5.6 miles away and is about a 14-minute drive,” the article stated. “Planned Parenthood works with each individual and accommodates the cost of their care to direct income.”
Throughout the past year, Campus Reform has reported about other schools that have made headlines due to support for abortion on their campuses.
For instance, at New York University, the College Democrats criticized the school in October for not providing on-campus medication abortions, despite offering extensive contraceptive options and external abortion referrals.
In April, Northwestern’s SHAPE student group launched a free Plan B hotline and distributed condoms and sex toys, promoting “healthy sexuality” while linking donations to abortion funds.
In March, a UNC Asheville student government candidate violently destroyed a pro-life display and shouted profanities, while advocating support for abortion through all nine months.
In June, Illinois lawmakers passed a bill requiring public universities to provide on-campus abortion pills, joining other blue states such as California and New York.
Campus Reform has contacted Springfield College for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
