I’m posting this because it got me so mad. Once again, I get to rail against fundamentalism’s treatment of women.
At least this woman sued, and won. But she never should have been put in this position in the first place and to make the whole episode even uglier, she is gay.
An Ohio jury ordered the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati to pay $171,000 to an unmarried teacher who was fired by two Catholic schools after becoming pregnant via artificial insemination.
Christa Dias was fired from her position as a computer technology teacher in 2010 after informing her employers of her pregnancy. She sued the schools and the archdiocese in federal court, citing federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of pregnancy.
The archdiocese argued that it did not dismiss Dias for becoming pregnant, but rather for violating an employment contract that required Dias to “comply with and act consistently in accordance with the stated philosophy and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.”
Artificial insemination is considered “gravely immoral” in the Catholic Church. Also at odds with Catholic doctrine is the fact that Dias is gay, though she never contended that her sexual orientation played a role in her firing. Archdiocese attorney Steve Goodin said in opening statements that Dias’ decision to sign the employment contract despite her sexual orientation shows that “Dias never really intended to abide by the contract” and “goes to her credibility.”
Here’s the whole story, from Lawyers.com: Catholic School Teacher Fired for Artificial Insemination Wins Suit | Legal News | Lawyers.com.