A US hospital fired an acclaimed nurse for talking about

Hesen Jabr’s story is a chilling reminder that employers in the US have far too much power over workers’ speech

Hesen Jabr, a labor and delivery nurse, was recently honored by her employer, NYU Langone Health in New York, for her work with grieving mothers who had lost babies during pregnancy and childbirth. A supervisor read from a note that said Jabr “not only provides stellar patient care, but also provides support for the rest of the nursing staff so that we can all live up to her example”. Jabr, who is Palestinian American, graciously accepted the award and took the opportunity to devote a small portion of her remarks to draw a connection with grieving mothers in Gaza.

When she reported to her first shift back at work, however, she was sent to meet with senior leadership at the hospital. Her bosses, she has said, told her she had “put others at risk”, “ruined the ceremony” and “offended people” with her remarks. She was sent back to work but several hours later was read a termination letter and escorted out by a police officer. NYU Langone told the New York Times that Jabr was fired for bringing “her views on this divisive and charged issue into the workplace”.

Bhaskar Sunkara is the president of the Nation, founding editor of Jacobin, and author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequalities