Like many expectant parents, Krista and Jami Contreras were in search of a pediatrician they could establish a positive relationship with over the years.
The couple's midwife recommended Dr. Vesna Roi at Eastlake Pediatrics, according to MyFoxDetroit.
The couple was happy with Roi after the initial visit. They said she seemed friendly and straightforward. At the visit, the couple was instructed to make a follow-up appointment with Roi after the baby arrived.
When baby Bay Windsor Contreras was six days old, the couple arrived for their doctor’s appointment.
Roi was nowhere to be found. Instead, Dr. Melinda Karam greeted them by saying, 'I'll be your doctor, I'll be seeing you today because Dr. Roi decided this morning that she prayed on it and she won't be able to care for Bay," Jami said.
The new mothers were shocked and humiliated.
After the second appointment, the couple found a new pediatric group for their newborn.
The couple shared their story on social media, and Eastlake Pediatrics was inundated with calls from concerned citizens. Roi finally responded to the couple by writing them a letter.
In part, the letter read:
"After much prayer following your prenatal, I felt that I would not be able to develop the personal patient-doctor relationships that I normally do with my patients."
She apologized for not speaking to them in person, and also wrote: "Please know that I believe that God gives us free choice and I would never judge anyone based on what they do with that free choice."
What Dr. Roi did was legal, according to MyFoxDetroit’s report. The American Medical Association permits doctors to refuse treatment if it's incompatible with their personal, religious or moral beliefs.
Michigan has no anti-discrimination laws protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families.
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