Woman Is Fired From Christian School For Having Premarital Sex With Her Husband

[filkertom]

'Cause she's a fornicator. I'm not kidding.

Newlywed Jarretta Hamilton, an elementary school teacher in her late 30s at Southland Christian School in Florida, went to her supervisors last year to be congratulated on her pregnancy and request maternity leave. But things took an unexpected turn when administrators asked just when, exactly, did she conceive? Refusing to bear false witnesses, Hamilton admitted to the prying busybodies that she had become pregnant three weeks before her wedding day.

In response, Hamilton was fired for engaging in "fornication." Conveniently, this also meant that the school was off the hook for paying maternity leave. Then, in an added insult and violation of Hamilton's privacy, her premarital conception was made public to others in the school and parents.

Here's a news story at MSNBC about it as well.

This actually mattered to these people. To the point that this woman lost her job. That's not a theoretical, hypothetical situation. That's a lost job, and a family that's harder to care for.

Apparently, thanks to one SCOTUS decision or another regarding freedom of religion, "morals clauses", or somesuch, this may indeed be perfectly legal.

If so, it means that, just as in cases when a pharmacist refuses to fill a Morning After Pill scrip or a doctor refuses to perform a legal abortion, someone else's "freedom of religion" can trump your right to privacy. And their fear and loathing of sex can cost you your job.

Comments

[ororo]

I find this vile. And ironic.

[joyful.livejournal.com]

I went to a Christian school from 8th grade to 12th grade. While I was there, the 6th grade teacher was fired because he was seen holding hands with another man at the mall.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

I think it sucks, too. But I will note that the relevant SCOTUS opinion, as I recall it, specifically notes that religious-based organizations could apply religious tests to their employees. If it were a secular organization, it'd be so far out of line it'd be off the playing field.

I don't completely agree with that opinion -- hospitals, for example, ought not to have any religious bias at all -- but for schools, both the prospective employees and the parents of prospective students generally know, going in, that the place is biased (or should, based on the place's religious affiliation).

I hope she gets a better job at a place that doesn't have narrowminded bigots running it.

[ldyerzsie.livejournal.com]

Only if you work for a religious institution. Like a Christian School. Work for the Government and no one really cares. Heck I was openly Pagan while working for a pre-school during my 20's and had no bad repercussions.

My parent's aren't at all religious, but they played the game and went to the Important services--major Holy Days and when the pastor's bosses were in town--when she worked for a Lutheran Church.

The nice lady should have just invoked her HIPPA rights and told them it was none of their business. Of course, the former employers are also in violation of HIPPA laws due to spreading around what is essentially private health info.

[aiela.livejournal.com]

Friend of mine in the 80's had her 2nd grade teacher fired for getting pregnant out of wedlock at a public school.

Said friend, when telling me this story in high school, didn't have a problem with it. It was then that I realized she and I should never, ever, ever discuss matters of "morality" or "religion". And 20 years later we still don't. :P

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Right to Privacy goes out the window when your response isn't "That's none of your business."

Telling others the reason they fired her was REALLY stupid, though. I think it's something other then "Right to Privacy" and will land the school in all kinds of hot water. Oddly, they don't even have to tell HER why the terminated her employment in FL. I imagine the HR department is kicking the principle in the nuts.

FYI: Their domain "southlandchristianschool.net" expired on 05/11/2010 and is pending renewal or deletion. Wonder when it can get snapped up...

Some review on the place (http://maps.google.com/maps/place?num=100&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=36C&rlz=1R1GGGL_en___US356&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=southland+christian+school+fl&fb=1&gl=us&hq=southland+christian+school&hnear=Florida&cid=8064292942464396948&pcsi=8064292942464396948,1&ei=31cWTI7oK4L_8Abs8pieDA&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQnQIwAA).

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Hey, wasn't Christ supposed to be conceived out of wedlock?

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Actually like a *church* not a *school* (which has accreditation from the government it has to meet).

This will not end well for them.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Interesting (http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=4536&state=FL) - the more recent "reviews" are from people that don't have children there, but the older ones starting at about 2007...

[delazan.livejournal.com]

Not only was Christ conceived out of wedlock, he wasn't conceived by the man who married his mother. Double sin!
-L.

[ldyerzsie.livejournal.com]

>Right to Privacy goes out the window when your response isn't "That's none of your business."

Not according to my employer--State of Indiana. According to them, those of us who get updates on co-workers conditions, can't share them without specific permission from the afflicted. This comes down from Personel. It sucks when it's a boss who is liked by everyone but only updating their direct report people and their boss.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Aside from their publicizing her private business, I don't think they did anything wrong. It's a religious school; they can require their children's role models to follow their moral code.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Okay - I buy that.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

While a crappy situation, this is part of what being in a free country is. "Free," doesn't equate to, "you don't get to do what I find offensive or unreasonable". We all get to make choices, and they sometimes have repercussions.

She was working for a "Christian" school. Did she have any reason to believe that this school did anything other than hold the teachers to a specific high standard of behavior? I won't be at all surprised if her contract held clauses to cover such. Fully informed, she chose to work for them, and then gave them personal information.

[terriwells.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's like there's a sudden change in tone or something.

[joyful.livejournal.com]

Now, I admit that I don't like the idea of what happened. However, as somebody who went to a Christian school, most religious institutions require both faculty and students to sign a morality contract or a cod of conduct agreement at the start of each school year. While I don't know the details of this specific case, if she signed one, than the school was within its rights to fire her.

I personally find the school's behavior morally objectionable (Christianity is about forgiveness), I doubt they have done anything illegal.

I also think the situation could have been handled a lot better. And I'd just like to add that honesty does not always mean the same thing as full disclosure.

[armb.livejournal.com]

But without any fornication involved. It's a tricky excuse to pull off plausibly.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

If I were her, I'd have said, "We conceived on our honeymoon! Isn't that romantic?" And then, when the baby was born, claim it was slightly early. I was born 3 weeks early, and my parents had been married for 4 years at the time.

There are times I am very pleased to be a dual citizen...if the US gets too insane, I have another option.

Although, looking at the MSNBC story, I wonder if there isn't something about this that's related to the fact that they are an interracial couple. This is the South we're talking about.

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

All she had to do is say "None of your business." Which it wasn't...

[alverant.livejournal.com]

Yep, to a 12 year old girl (according to the Protoevangelion of James) without her consent. Now what does that say about the father?

[alverant.livejournal.com]

Makes you look suspicious though, like you got something to hide.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

I noticed that too. Also how many male teachers did they fire for the same reason?

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

When you get down to it, the school has a point. Christian schools (at least the sort of Christian schools that would do this as a matter of policy) exist to brainwash, oh, excuse me, to inculcate morals in their children. Having a teacher who was openly violating those morals would in fact, undermine the message.

This is why Christian schools should not be allowed to exist.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

What if she was raped? (She wasn't, but this is all hypothetical.) The bible does not recognize the idea of a woman consenting to have sex. Sex outside of marriage is a sin in christianity, whether you had it willingly or not.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Wonder when that principal got hired...