The Uppsala District Court acquitted Region Uppsala of discriminating against a woman when a doctor asked her to remove her headscarf during a medical examination. The Discrimination Ombudsman (DO), who sued the region in the case, has now decided to appeal the verdict to the Svea Court of Appeal, according to a press release.
The DO writes in the press release that the woman wore the headscarf for religious reasons. The Ombudsman's opinion is that she was subjected to discriminatory treatment when the doctor, without it being necessary since the woman sought care for hemorrhoids, requested that she remove her headscarf.
"A religious symbol is strongly linked to personal integrity. Asking someone to remove a religious symbol, without there being objective reasons for it, is an action that typically causes discomfort. It has also occurred in this case," says Sandra Danowsky, process leader in the case in the DO's press release.
