Another Christian sacked for her beliefs?

Of course we don't always get the whole story from the newspapers but on the face of it there is yet another Christian martyr in the Daily Telegraph. Margaret Forrester shared with a fellow worker a booklet that questioned the belief that women who have an abortion are not psychologically scarred. This has been a matter of polarized debate recently in the medical journals, so it is at least a matter for which there is legitimate debate. My own view is that some women are and some are not. However, Ms Forrester was a psychological wellbeing practitioner in Westminster, central London. Her managers found out about her views and suspended her from her duties at Central North West London Mental Health Trust. Last month, after a series of lengthy hearings and an unsuccessful appeal, she was sacked. The ultimate reason for her dismissal was her refusal to work in a new role in a different mental health team, to which she was transferred as a disciplinary measure. Ms Forrester accepted the job verbally but claimed she was give insufficient information and lacked training.

Is this another case of persecution of Christians for their beliefs or a stroppy woman making trouble? For myself I would sack all psychological wellbeing practitioners. This looks to me to be a bloated public sector funding non-jobs for people who prefer talking to working. Employment in the public sector is not a platform for declaring your beliefs. If you don't believe in abortion (and I don't) then try and spread your belief in your own time, not when you are paid to do something else. If you don't agree with the ethos of a particular employer then don't work for them. By all means campaign against the taxpayer being asked to fund an outlandish policy, but don't do it like this. It does not win hearts and minds.