Milwaukee, Wis., Aug 30, 2007 / 08:45 am
A teacher, who was fired from a Catholic school for using in vitro fertilization to get pregnant, has settled her lawsuit.
Kelly Romenesko was fired in 2004, five days after giving birth to twins. She took her employer, Xavier Catholic High School, to court, claiming discrimination.
The school requires all teachers to adhere to Catholic Church teachings, and the Church does not approve of in vitro fertilization.
The school said they had planned to fire her as soon as they found out about the circumstances of her pregnancy but other issues prevented them from doing so until Romenesko gave birth.
WTMJ Channel 4 Milwaukee reported that the terms of the settlement are confidential, but Romenesko says her compensation will not cover the entire cost of her three-year legal battle. It was the cost and burden on her family, she said, that prompted her to settle.
“This whole situation and this whole case was not about who’s right and wrong, but it was about good people on two different sides of the issue,” said diocesan attorney Greg Gill, Sr.
Romenesko now admits her firing was legal.