PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNewsUS teacher fired over artificial insemination awarded damages

BioNews

US teacher fired over artificial insemination awarded damages

Published 10 June 2013 posted in News and appears in BioNews 708

Author

Dr Katie Howe

Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family entwined in coils of DNA (based on the figure of Laocoön from Greek and Roman mythology).

An Ohio Archdiocese has been ordered to pay US $171,000 in damages to a teacher who was fired after becoming pregnant by artificial insemination....

An Ohio Archdiocese has been ordered to pay US $171,000 in damages to a teacher who was fired after becoming pregnant by artificial insemination.

Christa Dias was dismissed in October 2010 from two schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Steven Goodin, the lawyer for the archdiocese, argued that Dias was dismissed on the grounds that she had breached the terms of her contract, which required her to abide by the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. According to the archdiocese, artificial insemination and other assisted reproductive technologies are a violation of church doctrine.

Dias' lawyer, Robert Klingler, said that she was fired because she was pregnant and unmarried, however, which constitutes a violation of US anti-discrimination laws.

A federal jury in the US District Circuit in Cincinatti returned its verdict in favour of Dias and ordered the archdiocese to pay US $51,000 for lost wages, $20,000 for emotional distress and $100,000 in punitive damages.

Klingler noted that Dias, who is gay, always intended to have a child using artificial insemination. Neither the archdiocese nor Dias claimed that she was dismissed over her sexual orientation, but Goodin argued that 'Dias never really intended to abide by the contract'.

Dias told The Associated Press in a phone interview that she was 'very happy and relieved' with the verdict, which she said she pursued for the sake of other women who might find themselves in a similar situation.

Dan Andriacco, a spokesperson for the archdiocese said, 'We're disappointed, but it's a very complex verdict, and we're going to have to study it before we decide whether to appeal'.

Legal experts anticipate the archdiocese will appeal against the verdict in a case which could have widespread legal impact. Jessie Hill, a professor of civil rights and constitutional law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, predicts that the 'ministerial exception' issue could be raised at appeal.

The US Supreme Court has previously ruled that religious organisations can dismiss ministerial employees without government interference. However, Klingler argued that Dias, who was a computer technology teacher, had no ministerial duties.

Sources and References

  • 04/06/2013
    Reuters
    Ohio teacher awarded $171,000 after firing over artificial insemination
  • 29/05/2013
    Daily Mail
    Single lesbian teacher breaks down in tears on the stand as she testifies about being fired from Catholic school when she got pregnant
  • 06/06/2013
    Catholic Online
    Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati Loses. Artificially Inseminated Lesbian Teacher Christa Dias Awarded $170,000
  • 03/05/2013
    Washington Post
    Legal experts expect Cincinnati Archdiocese to appeal jury finding for fired pregnant teacher

Related Articles

Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family entwined in coils of DNA (based on the figure of Laocoön from Greek and Roman mythology).
News
7 January 2013 • 2 minutes read

Sperm donor to lesbian couple sued for child support

by Rosie Beauchamp

A sperm donor in Kansas, USA, has been ordered to pay $6,000 in child support to a lesbian couple who he helped conceive a child with...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Comment
29 October 2012 • 3 minutes read

Single women using donor insemination: Thoughts on the discussion of the latest findings from the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies

by Susan Imrie and 1 others

Professionals, policymakers and academics came together to discuss recent research on the making of child welfare assessments in the context of post-2008 changes to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act. Researchers explained their findings to an avid audience, one of which was that single women seeking reproductive assistance raise red flags for clinicians, clinic counsellors, and nursing staff...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
25 October 2010 • 2 minutes read

Polish government debates fertility treatment policy

by Dr Nishat Hyder-Rahman

Polish MPs have begun debating measures to regulate fertility treatments, sparking widespread discussions over the regulatory options and ethical considerations surrounding assisted conception...

Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
CC BY 4.0
Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
News
2 August 2010 • 1 minute read

Stem cell research funded by Catholic Church

by Dr Nadeem Shaikh

Research scientists from Bristol University have received funding from Catholic parishioners, to use adult stem cells for therapeutic applications, reports the BBC....

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« US Supreme Court allows DNA swabs of people under arrest

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels


easyfundraising
amazon

This month in News

  • Popular
  • Recent
20 November 2023 • 3 minutes read

HFEA publishes recommendations for reform of fertility law

13 November 2023 • 2 minutes read

Four BRCA mutation carriers undergo removal of ovaries during C-section 

13 November 2023 • 2 minutes read

Frequent mobile phone use linked to lower sperm count in young men

6 November 2023 • 3 minutes read

Health Council of the Netherlands recommends doubling the 14-day limit on embryo research

30 October 2023 • 2 minutes read

Government to scrap additional IVF screening for same-sex couples

27 November 2023 • 2 minutes read

Research into gene therapy reveals blood cancer risk

27 November 2023 • 2 minutes read

Polish Parliament debates reinstatement of state IVF funding

27 November 2023 • 2 minutes read

Over 100,000 DNA evidence samples must be re-tested in Australia

27 November 2023 • 2 minutes read

Childhood autism associated with infertility in parents

27 November 2023 • 2 minutes read

Unintended consequence of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing discovered

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2023 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2023 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856