A children’s nurse at a London hospital who told a colleague that ‘gay people should abstain from sex’ and that ‘marriage can only exist between a man and woman’ has walked away from a fitness to practice hearing with ‘no case to answer’, after a panel ruled that she had a right to express her beliefs in a democratic society.
Natasha Arpana Addington, who is a Christian, was a nurse at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, when on October 1, 2021, she and a lesbian colleague – known only as Colleague A – had a discussion about whether any gay people attended Ms Addington’s church. In response, Ms Addington allegedly told her colleague “the bible says same sex relationships are sinful, and for Colleague A to choose to live in that way is choosing to live a sinful life”.
Ms Addington also allegedly told Colleague A that her upcoming marriage “was not a marriage and that can only be between a man and a woman”. She is also alleged to have said: “Personally, I don’t believe gay people should have the right to marry, and the laws of this country used to be based on the Bible, and that’s the way it should be… I urge you to talk to Jesus as he loves all his children it’s not the sinner he hates, but the sin.”
A Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) panel dismissed the charges as no case to answer, after the NMC’s own counsel offered no evidence
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At a fitness to practice hearing before the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) last month, a panel dismissed the charges as no case to answer, after the NMC’s own counsel offered no evidence and said the case examiner’s decision had been made on an incorrect basis. The NMC said Ms Addington had a right to freedom of expression in a democratic society.
The NMC added that Ms Addington “did not act in a way that would cause harm to the public” and that this was a private conversation between colleagues. It was heard Ms Addington treated patients in her care with “respect and professionalism”, and never treated Colleague A “less favourably or treated her differently due to her sexuality”.
On October 6, 2021, Colleague A had raised a grievance with the Imperial College Healthcare Trust for discrimination, stating that the conversation “made her feel shocked, insulted, invalidated her sexuality, hurt and discriminated against”. Ms Addington denied the charge and said she would never discriminate against someone because of their homosexuality, adding she had a right to her beliefs.
Ms Addington provided a written statement in which she acknowledged there was a discussion about same sex relationships. She expressed views “that the Bible teaches that it is not right for people to be attracted to the same sex” and for sex outside of marriage. She also said “people attracted to the same sex should abstain from following that attraction” and that “the Bible teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman”, adding that “this was her personal belief”.
At the NMC fitness to practice hearing, she added: “At the time I believed I was having a conversation with a colleague with whom I was on very friendly terms. We were having a consensual conversation where we held differing views, but views that could coexist and be mutually respected.
“At no point did [Colleague A] show any signs of distress and I believed we were having a reasonable exchange which I expected to end with both our respective positions and our relationship intact. […] There were no patients, visitors or colleagues involved.”
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