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| American mom sues the Catholic church after she was fired from her teaching position. Christa Dias went to federal court to buck the notion that being unmarried and pregnant isn't grounds for termination. |
In my community there's a story that's picked up a lot of attention. A woman sued the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for unlawful termination. The woman was from the area at the time and was teaching at some of the local Catholic schools.
She had gotten pregnant through artificial insemination and was not married. I guess in the Roman Catholic church, you have to be in tone with their values in order to get a position there. She was outed as a lesbian by the junk food media. The teacher feared that she would lose her job if her bosses would find out about her relationship with a woman.
The United States Federal Courts found that the Catholic church was in the wrong when they fired the woman and she was awarded a lump sum of nearly $200,000 for damages.
The Dayton Daily News and Associated Press reports that the Catholic school teacher who was fired after she became pregnant through artificial insemination was awarded Monday after winning her anti-discrimination lawsuit against an Ohio archdiocese.
A federal jury found that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati discriminated against Christa Dias by firing her in October 2010.
Dias, who taught computer classes, declined to comment immediately after the verdict but said later in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that she was "very happy and relieved."
The jury said the archdiocese should pay a total of $71,000 for back pay and compensatory damages and $100,000 in punitive damages. Dias had sued the archdiocese and two of its schools; the jury didn't find the schools liable for damages.
Dias' attorney, Robert Klingler, had argued she was fired simply because she was pregnant and unmarried, a dismissal he said violated state and federal law. He had suggested damages as high as $637,000, but Dias said she was satisfied with the jury's award.
"It was never about the money," she said. "They should have followed the law and they didn't."
Steven Goodin, the attorney for the archdiocese and the schools, had argued Dias was fired for violating her contract, which he said required her to comply with the philosophies and teachings of the Catholic church.
The church considers artificial insemination immoral and a violation of church doctrine.
"We gave always argued that this case was about a contract violation and should never have been allowed to come to trial," Goodin said after the verdict.
He said that while he was disappointed in the finding against the archdiocese, he was relieved the schools were not held liable, saying that would have proven a financial hardship for them.
Archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco said after court that for the archdiocese, it was always "a matter of principle" and about "an employee who broke a contract she signed."
Dias, who is not Catholic, testified she didn't know artificial insemination violated church doctrine or her employment pact. She said she thought the contract clause about abiding by church teachings meant she should be a Christian and follow the Bible.
The case, viewed as a barometer on the degree to which religious organizations can regulate employees' lives, is the second lawsuit filed in the last two years against the archdiocese over the firing of an unmarried pregnant teacher.
The archdiocese had argued prior to trial that Dias was a ministerial employee and that the Supreme Court has said religious groups can dismiss those employees without government interference. But Klingler insisted Dias had no such duties, and the court found that she was not a ministerial employee.
Klingler said the case shows jurors are willing to apply the law "even to churches and religious organizations when non-ministerial employees are discriminated against."
Goodin said he thinks the verdict could result in churches and religious organizations making their contracts "lock in" employees so specifically that it could be "hard to bring these types of lawsuits in the future."
While Goodin said a decision would be made later on whether to appeal, legal experts believe it will definitely end up in an appeals court.
Issues they believe could be raised include how to define a ministerial employee and how to resolve the conflict between religious employers' rights versus the rights of women seeking to reproduce.
Dias also has claimed that the church policies are not enforced equally against men and women.
Goodin argued that Dias, who is gay, never intended to abide by her contract. She kept her sexual orientation a secret because she knew that homosexual acts also would violate that contract, he said.
Neither Dias nor the archdiocese claim she was fired because she is gay, and the judge told jurors that they could not consider sexual orientation in determining motivating factors for the firing.
Dias, formerly from suburban Cincinnati, now lives in Atlanta with her partner and their 2-year-old daughter.
Dias said she pursued the lawsuit "for the sake of other women" who might find themselves in a similar situation. She also said she filed it for "my daughter's sake, so she knows it's important to stand up for what's right."
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| The Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. |
I am straight man and I endorse the rights of the LGBT community. I am considered agnostic on most religious themes. I do believe in the existence of Jesus Christ but I don't believe spiritual forces or reincarnation of the Lord. I don't believe in the religious themes that give the notion that we're in two parallels of heaven and hell.
I don't have no problems with those who believe in religion. They deserve the right to practice in religion.
But I don't believe in that crap about how it's fair to discriminate because of race, gender, sexuality, nationality, disability, religion, economic or social standings.
The issue of gay marriage doesn't bother me. They are not hurting anyone. They should live their lives in peace and harmony without the United States government interfering. Conservatives are narrow minded individuals. They want the government out of your lives but when it comes to a woman's right to choice or a gay person, they want impose laws that discriminate or punish.
Understanding that the national polls are trending in the favor of those in the LGBT community. Many young voters support marriage equality. The old traditions of shunning people from positions because of sexuality are coming to an end.
The Boy Scouts of America have announced a step forward by allowing members who are gay. Still there's a ban on gay Boy Scout leaders and head figures though. That's still a work in progress.
Since President Barack Obama came out in favor of gay marriage, many young voters approved of the decision and turnout in droves to help the president win reelection.
Many people are slowly embracing the possibility of gay marriage in America. The Supreme Court will rule on the Proposition 8 and Defense of Marriage Act at the end of the month, and these decisions will greatly impact the progress made by those who want to love.
The Republicans are slowly deviating from the issue. So far, they're facing a gauntlet of criticism from the young generation of Republicans. They're telling the old guard and Tea Party figures that it's time to move away from it.
The Religious Right isn't as powerful as they were in the 1990s. They've nominated perennial loser Mitt Romney over washed up politico Rick Santorum. Both men were equally flawed and they didn't want to tackle the gay rights issue.
Santorum was more in tone to the Republican beliefs and yet he didn't win the Republican nomination.
Look, if you're still having trouble trying to adjust to the LGBT community, that's you. But you best beware that they're more powerful than you thought.
Since the days of Matthew Shepard to Tyler Clementi, many Americans are starting to realize that it could be one of our family members. It never affect me until I realized that I have family members and friends who are gay. It hits close to home and I must understand that they're human too.
Why should I treat them different?
Suicide of gay teenagers are high. Many American families are being discriminated because the parents are either two men or two women.
I understand the road is far for my friends who are gay. But still the accomplishments made today assure that the fight continues on for equality.
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