“Given that my moral beliefs include a foetus is a child and it is wrong to kill children, there is no circumstance in which I would not object to abortion,” she wrote. It was these comments that caused her NHS manager to take action against her a week later.

Spencer said of the conversation with her manager, ‘The quote that really stuck with me was that she said, ‘These comments have been brought to my attention. I feel I need to escalate them to the university. I trust you don’t need me to tell you what comments I’m referring to. You know what you said.'”

READ: 5 reasons why midwifery care should matter to pro-lifers

The manager filed a complaint with the university, which launched a ‘fitness to practice investigation.’ She was told she could continue practicing during the investigation, but the health board barred her from doing so.

The Midwifery Council’s code of conduct states that midwives must act in the best interest of all people and remain objective. They also cannot share their personal beliefs in a way that is deemed inappropriate.

Spencer contacted midwifery student Julia Rynkiewicz, who was investigated by Nottingham University in 2020 for her association with a pro-life student group. Rynkiewicz put Spencer in touch with the legal group ADF International, which supported her during the investigation. The investigation cleared Spencer, but NHS Fife did not want her back. It eventually did allow Spencer to return, and she was placed with the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, said that “Sara’s career has been negatively impacted by a cultural prejudice against people with pro-life opinions – present both at her university, and in her workplace,” adding that “true diversity of thought” is absent from many universities, and that Spencer’s story “points to a need for legislation which reaffirms freedom of speech in these learning environments….”

Spencer told The Daily Mail, “I do not think that NHS Fife is a safe place to work for people with protected beliefs. There was a sense that by saying my beliefs, I had been bad. I broke a rule and I was being punished for it and it felt so isolating, so punitive. This was an NHS manager who got to know me for weeks, and then was willing to rupture my studies and career. I had discovered my dream job, but then felt the rejection of, well, actually, you don’t belong in our club, and it did really hurt.”

While she said she doesn’t need an apology, she does want “an acknowledgement that they were wrong to insist that I be investigated, wrong to bar me from placement during the investigation, wrong to react against my ‘no case to answer’ outcome.”

NHS Fife said it is “committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace,” though based on this case, it does not seem inclusive of safe for those who espouse pro-life values. Edinburgh Napier University said it could not comment.

Spencer said of the conversation with her manager, ‘The quote that really stuck with me was that she said, ‘These comments have been brought to my attention. I feel I need to escalate them to the university. I trust you don’t need me to tell you what comments I’m referring to. You know what you said.'”

READ: 5 reasons why midwifery care should matter to pro-lifers

The manager filed a complaint with the university, which launched a ‘fitness to practice investigation.’ She was told she could continue practicing during the investigation, but the health board barred her from doing so.

The Midwifery Council’s code of conduct states that midwives must act in the best interest of all people and remain objective. They also cannot share their personal beliefs in a way that is deemed inappropriate.

Spencer contacted midwifery student Julia Rynkiewicz, who was investigated by Nottingham University in 2020 for her association with a pro-life student group. Rynkiewicz put Spencer in touch with the legal group ADF International, which supported her during the investigation. The investigation cleared Spencer, but NHS Fife did not want her back. It eventually did allow Spencer to return, and she was placed with the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.

Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, said that “Sara’s career has been negatively impacted by a cultural prejudice against people with pro-life opinions – present both at her university, and in her workplace,” adding that “true diversity of thought” is absent from many universities, and that Spencer’s story “points to a need for legislation which reaffirms freedom of speech in these learning environments….”

Spencer told The Daily Mail, “I do not think that NHS Fife is a safe place to work for people with protected beliefs. There was a sense that by saying my beliefs, I had been bad. I broke a rule and I was being punished for it and it felt so isolating, so punitive. This was an NHS manager who got to know me for weeks, and then was willing to rupture my studies and career. I had discovered my dream job, but then felt the rejection of, well, actually, you don’t belong in our club, and it did really hurt.”

While she said she doesn’t need an apology, she does want “an acknowledgement that they were wrong to insist that I be investigated, wrong to bar me from placement during the investigation, wrong to react against my ‘no case to answer’ outcome.”

NHS Fife said it is “committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace,” though based on this case, it does not seem inclusive of safe for those who espouse pro-life values. Edinburgh Napier University said it could not comment.