After it was discovered that she was pregnant, Teri James, an unwed 29-year-old woman, was fired from her job at San Diego Christian College for having premarital sex. As bullshit as it sounds, the school did have the right to terminate James — she had signed an employee contract that stated that "sexually immoral behavior, including premarital sex, adultery, pornography and homosexuality" are prohibited. But what makes the whole deal much more interesting is that the school then offered her vacated position to her boyfriend. As in: The guy who knocked her up. James' employers were aware that he was her partner and had fathered her child, meaning that they were aware that he had also had premarital sex. They seemed not to have the same problem with him as they did with her.
Gloria Allred has taken on James' case and is suing for wrongful termination, alleging discrimination based on gender, pregnancy and marital status, citing the offer of employment to the father-to-be as evidence.
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In a statement released by the school, they said that they did not fire James because she was pregnant; they fired her because she had pre-marital sex—which they only found out about because she was pregnant.
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Fired for premarital sex: Woman fired, boyfriend gets the job [Examiner]
