Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Los Angeles Times (LT) - TUESDAY December 3, 1996 Edition: Orange County Edition Section: Metro Page: 2 Pt. B Story Type: Column; Brief Word Count: 306
David Haldane; Times Staff Writer
Herbert Hall of Garden Grove, who has AIDS, filed the lawsuit in 1995 after attempting to become certified as an instructor for Red Cross classes on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and HIV, the virus that causes it. After spending a year on a waiting list, he said, he finally went through the class only to be told that he would not be certified because Red Cross employees feared that his involvement in a Christian ministry would affect his teaching.
"We have to have a neutral presentation in the classroom," Judy Iannaccone, a spokeswoman for the Orange County chapter of the American National Red Cross, said. "While he was in the training class, the finding was that he was using language that we did not consider neutral. He was advised that he could co-teach the class and, if he deleted that kind of language, we would reconsider."
Hall rejected the offer to co-teach as discriminatory and filed the lawsuit in Santa Ana accusing the Red Cross of violating the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. A federal trial judge dismissed the case, however, after deciding that the religious-freedom law does not apply to the Red Cross. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals later agreed, ruling that the agency is not a "government actor" because the government doesn't have permanent authority to appoint the majority of its governing board. After hearing Monday's decision, Hall said, "My initial reaction was that I was shocked. . . . The effect is that the Red Cross can deny anybody they want to deny if they don't like their looks, color or religion."
Iannaccone said that the agency has never discriminated. "The door is open to anyone," she said.
Copyright © 1996 - Los Angeles Times. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Los Angeles Times, Permissions, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. http://www.latimes.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1996. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1996. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .