LITTLE ROCK — 2 groups aid woman
fired for fertilization
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the American Civil Liberties Union filed friends of the court briefs Monday in support of Emily Herx, a former parochial school language arts teacher who claims she was fired for undergoing in vitro fertilization.
Herx filed a federal lawsuit in April against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, claiming she was discriminated against for a disability when her teaching contract wasn’t renewed.
Herx suffers from infertility.
When diocese officials learned she had undergone in vitro fertilization - a treatment opposed by the church - they decided not to renew the teacher’s contract.
The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission ruled in her favor in January.
- The Associated Press$280,000 awarded
in proselytizing case
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A New Mexico jury has awarded $280,000 in damages to a water utility worker who claimed he was passed over for promotions because he resisted his supervisor’s religious proselytizing.
James Chavez, a senior engineer, convinced jurors that his boss had retaliated against him for exercising his First Amendment rights.
His lawsuit said John Stomp, then his supervisor and now the utility’s chief executive, often tried to discuss his beliefs in the workplace and tried to get Chavez to attend his church.
The water authority is reviewing its legal options.
- The Associated Press
Church lends space
to sodden synagogue
ISLAND PARK, N.Y. - A Long Island church is lending a hand to a neighbor - helping a synagogue mark the High Holy Days.
Leaders of the Jewish Center of Island Park discovered extensive flood damage from a broken pipe on Sunday.
Sacred Heart Church, about a block away, offered to help.
Firefighters and other volunteers helped get the parish hall in shape.
The synagogue will hold services at Sacred Heart through Yom Kippur.
- The Associated PressCity wants church to evict homeless
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The city of Nashville is taking a local church to court over a homeless encampment on the property.
Green Street Church of Christ officials say they have a First Amendment right to minister to the homeless.
“We believe that it is God’s will for his property to be used to provide a place for needy people to come, a place where they are safe and a place where they can begin to put back together the broken pieces of their lives,” Pastor Jim Atwood said.
But to the city, the encampment of about 10 tents is a zoning violation. A court date is set for November.
“This is more complicated than our typical case,” Metro Nashville attorney Tom Cross said. “We would like to see if we can figure out a way that the church’s mission can be fulfilled, but, at the same time, that public health and safety concerns are protected also.”
Religion, Pages 12 on 09/22/2012