'Fornication': A firing offense?

A teacher alleges that her Christian school fired her for getting pregnant three weeks before her wedding — and is taking it to court

A 4th-grade teacher has filed a discrimination lawsuit accusing a Christian school of firing her for "fornication" with her fiancé. Jarretta Hamilton says that, when she applied for maternity leave from Southland Christian School in St. Cloud, FL, she admitted, under scrutiny, that she got pregnant three weeks before her 2009 wedding. She alleges that school administrators informed her she was fired for violating the moral code outlined in its employment application. The school is not "intolerant" for upholding its principles, says blogger Texan40 at Christian Forums. If Hamilton knew the rules, she doesn't have a case. Maybe, says Rhonda Swan in the Palm Beach, Fla., Post, but firing a new mother — and leaving her without health insurance — is hardly the "Christian" thing to do. Watch a local news report:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us