Christa Dias, Mother, Fired From Catholic Schools For Use Of Artificial Insemination

Christa Dias, former technology coordinator at Holy Family and St. Lawrence Catholic schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, claims she was fired for becoming pregnant using artificial insemination, Cincinnati.com reports.

According to the report, the schools initially fired Dias for being pregnant while single, but then changed their reasoning to being pregnant from artificial insemination, which they claim violates Catholic teaching as well as her employment contract.

"I've always wanted to have a baby," Dias told the publication. "I've always known that. That's why I became a teacher, because I love kids. I didn't think it would be a problem."

Dias sued the schools for discrimination April, but the case has been put on hold while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a similar case.

In their coverage of the incident, the blog Getreligion.org referenced a sidebar in the printed version of the article, which they say illustrate specifically the school claims against Dias:

CONTRACT CLAUSE DIAS AGREED TO WHEN HIRED

The teacher will "comply with and act consistently in accordance with the stated philosophy and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the policies and directives of the School and the Archdiocese."

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, SECTION 2376

"The gift of a child"

"Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple – donation of a sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus – are gravely immoral. These techniques – heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization – infringe the child’s right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses’ ‘right to become a father and a mother only through each other.' "

While the schools claim Dias' dissmisal was not discriminatory, but the product of a violation of a legal contract, her attorneys argue that the same standards are not enforced on men who provide the sperm for artificial insemination.

Earlier this month, 33-year-old Jennifer Cox claimed she was fired from her job as a website manager at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Britain after morning sickness and doctors appointments forced her to take time off, the Telegraph reported.

"I had made the decision to notify my line manager, thinking that honesty was the best policy, which I now regret," Cox told the paper.

Cox's case is set to be concluded after the new year.

Comments

[Robert Frano]

11:43 AM on 10/28/2012

Re: '…the schools initially fired Dias for being 'pregnant, while single', then changed 'reasoning' to 'pregnant, from artificial insemination'...which they claim violates Catholic teaching / her employment contract.' (Paraphrased)
"I've always wanted to have a baby," Dias told the publication. "I've always known that. That's why I became a teacher, because I love kids." {Christa Dias}

…’Reasoning’?
Illegal contracts CANNOT be enforced; extortion, (spiritual or otherwise), is...criminally & civilly punishable in the secular world!

Paraphrasing Wee.Timmy.Cardinal_Princess.Dolan, himself…

This sounds like the church abrogated a believer’s ‘religious liberty’, {R.O.T.F.L.M.F.A.O.}!!
Wait until his hits the proverbial fan, aka, the civil courts!

If I hadn’t already re-located to greener (spiritual), pastures, and my (former) faith victimized me/mine this way…
Not only would I see it worthy of a ‘wrongful termination’ suit but…
What about a criminal trial, with ‘hate-crimes enhancement’, re (the believer’s) ‘religious’ grounds?

So-oooooooo…
That's where the $25-50K I HAVEN'T put in the communion basket, (since the mid - late 60's) would be going to...
If I hadn't re-affiliated to NeoPaganism!

…Along with Dolan’s slush-fund, (aka, that semi-covert-fund the rotund homophobe calls his ‘charity’!)…
Where suspected / known clerical-molesters receive escape money, beginning their reign of terror anew!

Cardinal_Princess.Dolan admits he DOESN’T notify subsequent parishes / S.V.U. / Prosecutors, re these un-laicized beasts!

[Short Fuse]

07:55 PM on 04/26/2012

If they're really going to stick to "the child’s right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses’ ‘right to become a father and a mother only through each other.' ", it would seem that adoption is also an abomination to the catechism. I can't wait for parents of adopted children to start getting fired by the church

[Dolores King Morris]

08:14 AM on 04/06/2012

I can only say both of my children went to Holy Family. I thank God everyday for sister Kathleen Ann ,whom is no longer there. She left and so did I. My children were blessed to have wonderful teachers guided by a wonderful principal. It saddens me to see this church and school having to go through this. But enough is enough. The Roman Catholic Church is dieing... All religions have Rules and guidelines , and each and eveyone of us break them, God did not create us Perfect.

[Joseph E Wiles]

11:58 AM on 01/18/2012

I can just say, I never understand religious structures, whether they are Christian or otherwise. It seems that the message is generally always the same. Men are held at a different level above women. For this reason, I have no use to play the religious game. I believe that God is unconditional in his love for all of mankind. We are taught that God is an angry and wrathful God who will punish his children by throwing them into an eternal lake of fire. I believe that Jesus changed this to unconditional love of all mankind, and no one should be judged by anyone who exists upon this earth. Everyone tries to take the status that he or she knows what God wants when none of us have that distinguishable power that is beyond this earthly realm. We should just love each other unconditionally and enjoy the time we have left on this earth.

[Annalarixa]

04:27 PM on 01/04/2012

this article says that she sued the school but the case was put on hold waiting while the Supreme Court considers a similar case. The Supreme Court doesn't have any similar case. If you go to the website of the Supreme Court you can see all the cases they have on their agenda and their hearings list for this year and NONE is similar to this one, that besides the point that the Supreme Court would never hear a case like this because it doesn't involve a violation to the Consitution (the Constitution ONLY protects against government actions) or diversity, so this lady or the author need to get the record straight.

[Rachael50]

07:16 PM on 01/04/2012

You need to get the record straight! There is a clear Constitutional violation based on gender discrimination. She was initially fired for being pregnant and not married. A single male teacher could impregnate a woman without the school ever finding out, therefore breaching his contract, but wouldn't be fired for it. Of course, the school is now trying to change their reasoning relying on the fact that they fired her because she was artificially inseminated, the same argument can be made. A male teacher could donate to a sperm bank without the school ever knowing, which would be in violation of his employment contract by way of his donation of the sperm, oh.....and let's not forget his other "moral violations" of the contract for masturbation, as it is against the "philosophies and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church." Furthermore, it doesn't matter that the school is not a "state actor." The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to hear cases based on a private actor's violation and direct contravention of the Constitution. There is a clear violation of Federal Law and the Constitution, therefore, subject-matter jurisdiction is present. Lastly, the case they are holding for has already been heard, which is why it is not on the Supreme Court's docket. As anyone with actual knowledge of the legal system knows, it takes months for the Supreme Court's opinions to be published.

[Annalarixa]

09:40 AM on 01/05/2012

There is no Constitutional violation. The Constitution protects against discrimination towards governmental actions ONLY. The Constitution doesn't protect you against private actions. You are plain wrong. Had she been at a public school, yes there would have been a gender discrimination issue but given that this is a private organization it doesn't apply. The Supreme Court of the US doesn't hear cases where private actors violate Equal Protection Laws because there is no Constitutional Protection shielding citizens from private actions. There is no violation of Federal Law. Read Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 US 1 (1948) To know how the legal system works you really missed your Con Law class and didn't get anything from it.

[coachnelly]

02:31 PM on 01/03/2012

Can you disagree with the mentality and agree with the protocol? I don't think the school's stance is right but at the same time, the woman signed the contract and if their she breaks the contract, the school does have a right to terminate her employment. I don't agree with the reason WHY they did, but I also did not sign their contract and promise to uphold all their values.

It does bother me that people are lumping this church into the big soup of Catholicism. Just like any religion, Catholicism has more liberal and more conservative churches and sects. I would hate to think that many Baptists are okay with being lumped in with Westboro Baptist, correct?

[SethMacFarlane4Prez]

10:40 PM on 01/02/2012

welcome to the Catholic church & Ohio, please leave your rights, at the door.

[anniekh20]

12:21 PM on 01/02/2012

I'm Catholic and people keep bringing up the fact that the church tried to hide the priests who sexually abused kids. Just because i'm catholic does NOT mean i condone that. I think that is absolutely horrific and that they should be removed from their jobs and severely punished. I also don't think that this woman should have been fired. She is justifiable in suing them. My mother was a single parent who adopted me and my brother and the church didn't want her to do that either. Yes, this school fired her, but they are one school and they don't speak for the millions of catholics in the world. The same for the priests; the pope might have tried to hide it, but it doesn't mean that all the catholics agree with him. I know i don't.

[xxxxxx xxxxxx]

10:50 PM on 01/01/2012

So, if Diaz had told the school that no it wasn't IVF but rather some random dude she picked up at a bar and had hot sweaty s3x with when she knew she was ovulating, she'd still have a job?

[Freedom Mama]

11:08 AM on 01/10/2012

No she wouldn't. Sex outside of marriage is also against Catholic doctrine.

[bb5691]

01:03 PM on 01/01/2012

So....let me get this straight.... According to church doctrine, Jesus himself was brought to be in a "gravely immoral" fashion? lol Mary probably got fired from her teaching job too.

[Jjonahjameson]

10:25 AM on 01/13/2012

THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY REASONS WHY I LEFT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND BECAME A UNITED METHODIST.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS RIFE WITH HYPOCRISY, RACISM ,SEXISM, AND BIAS.

THE CATHOLICS AND THE MORMONS ARE EQUALLY NARROW-MINDED AND IN MANY WAYS JUST AS DICTATORIAL AS MUSLIMS.

I OPEN THE FLOOR FOR ANY AND ALL WHO WANT TO TRY AND DISPUTE THESE CHARGES!!!

[tonysofla]

07:12 PM on 12/31/2011

Is it a right to work state?
Florida for example, you can get fired for anything.
That the boss simple tell you to leave for no approving of your new hair cut.
And many contracts for upper management says that you can get fired without mention cause.

She had 5 months to start looking for a job at another school.
It’s not like she would got paid maturity leave anyway. (this is not Europe)

[xxxxxx xxxxxx]

10:47 PM on 01/01/2012

It doesn't matter, a right to work state still has to comply with the law. It is against the law to fire a woman just because she becomes pregnant.

[gypsy214]

05:51 PM on 12/31/2011

While I in no way think what the school did to Ms. Dias was either right or fair, the sad truth is that as a private educational institution, its administrators have the right to impose certain codes of conduct on its employees. It's still ridiculous that an apparently highly capable person was fired for sunch a senseless reason. It WOULD be interesting to know if they would impose the same penalty on male sperm donors or women who donate eggs. Maybe the church leaders should realize that God gave man highly developed brains for a reason - so that discoveries such as artificial insemination could be made in the first place.

[xxxxxx xxxxxx]

10:48 PM on 01/01/2012

If you follow that line of reasoning, then would it be illegal for a company to require you to sign a contract of employment subjecting you to cavity searches every day?

[by-the-sea-]

04:27 PM on 12/31/2011

Surprising that it is an issue, considering that the church relies on it's sheep to produce new members as frequently as they can.

[jagcapt007]

03:39 PM on 12/31/2011

Whenever a trial becomes necessary, their is always doubt who the male partner was, however nobody in history has yet to get a pregnant mother to be ... wrong. I have yet to have any Church request my legal expertise on Church Doctrine, and the more I research this claim the Church seems adamantly clear it apply's to both sexes equally.

These alleged Lawyer's appear to be demanding that somebody violate their oaths, and reveal other males caught in this Church Doctrine. Their hoping a secular Judge will violate current Constitutional principles afforded all Attorney's MD's and clergy. I personally relish the day I can legally reveal ALL told to me in confidence; I suspect this case will never see anything more than a publicity stunt status in the courts.


I've many ethics and morale clauses in all my contracts. I've always maintained feel free to work, and or shop elsewhere at your convenience, if offended. This appears on face value more progressive socialist Nazi tactics to take over all churches, businesses, and private schools, which is superiorly documented throughout World History.

I'm not suggesting I agree with this Church Doctrine and Policy. I'm only declaring I will defend unto death our Constitution, that gives them the absolute right to practice their faith both in church and private schools, that they invested in with great success from those persons who refuse public school indoctrinations as morally superior.

[KMBerger]

03:33 PM on 12/31/2011

What people do in their private lives should have no bearing on their employment, irrespective whether the employer is a private or public school.

[jagcapt007]

11:39 PM on 12/31/2011

I profoundly disagree and thankfully so does SCOTUS. No pedophile can legally work in a day care center, and or most public school with minors. NOBODY convicted and or reasonably suspected arsonist can ever be a Fire Fighter. No Person convicted of a felony can ever become a Policeman. We ALL understand SNIFF in Progressive World everybody is a Victim of poor family values and or homes. Thankfully we the remaining sane are still in charge of common sense, protecting all Children equally....

As a businessman and investor, I hire people all the time, either directly and or by proxy. Once you do anything that reflects poorly toward myself, and or our business, your history. My Queens office against company policy, directly campaigned for and assisted a DNC Candidate into office. I have never in all my years as an employer enforced this policy on USA soil. This year I terminated the entire office staff, a HUGH lost of gifted people, both in numbers and talents. What could Possibly cause this outrage ... Anthony Weiner

Even our overseas LIBERAL clients know that name, and NEVER want anything associated with them, linked with that name. Thankfully 98% of those clients gladly traveled across that bridge to save them embarrassments, and their reputations.

[KMBerger]

04:20 PM on 01/01/2012

jagcapt007, frankly, I don't see the relevance between comparing Anthony Weiner to a case of outright discrimination against an employee simply because she had artificial insemination in order to get pregnant. That is a civil rights abuse, plain and simple. No church that hires employees has the right to dictate how and when a person gets impregnated. Your comments about overseas LIBERAL clients and other extraneous stuff is simply BOGUS rubbish. If it were your spouse who had to have IV in order to become pregnant I seriously doubt you would be talking in such self-righteous terms. You're a disgrace.