Mobile
Friday, August 14, 2009
Boomer with Attitude / News Feds rule against Belmont Abbey
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 2:39 PM
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled Monday that Belmont Abbey College discriminated against women, and then retaliated against faculty members who filed a charge of employment discrimination — all over the issue of contraception.
The brouhaha started when the college ended its longtime policy of including contraceptive coverage in its employee health insurance plan. Afterward, some Belmont Abbey faculty members filed an EEOC discrimination suit against the college. At that point, the college’s administration sent out a letter naming the eight faculty members who filed charges with the EEOC.
The EEOC ruled that the college discriminated against women, since the refusal to cover the cost of birth control pills would cost women employees more hardship. The commission also ruled that the college’s naming of the plaintiffs was unlawful retaliation, explaining that “the identity of an individual who has filed a charge should be protected with confidentiality during the Commission’s investigation.”
The President of the college, Dr. William Thierfelder, sent a statement to the Board of Trustees in which he said the college will appeal the decision, and that “we remain committed to ensuring that all of the College’s policies and practices follow the teachings of the Catholic Church, which includes valuing all life and treating individuals with dignity and respect, and providing equal opportunities for all.” I guess Thierfelder forgot about the “dignity and respect” part when he sent out the memo naming the faculty members who filed charges.
A faculty member involved in the dispute, in a post on the BlueNC Web site, also claims that Thierfelder “and his minions have launched a smear campaign against us on right-wing Catholic blogs.”
Here’s some advice for BAC’s President from a former student at that college, and a Catholic: Instead of enforcing “the teachings of the Catholic Church,” how about supporting “the reality of the Catholic Church,” which is that a vast majority of Catholics in America think the Church’s teachings on contraception are misguided, at best, and thus they feel free to ignore them completely.
Speaking of...
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
Latest in The CLog
More by John Grooms
-
Bank errors continue to cause wrongful foreclosures
Charlotte's Bank of America is all mixed up in this mess.
-
5 Reasons To Buy Home Insurance Policy
-
Question the Queen City: The story of Nellie Freeman, aka 'Razor Girl' 2
She decapitated her husband, was declared innocent, and never hurt another soul.
