Pregnant Woman’s Lawsuit Against US Church Is OKed

CINCINNATI (AP) — A federal judge says a lawsuit can go ahead against a US archdiocese by a Catholic school teacher who was fired after she became pregnant through artificial insemination.

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati fired Christa Dias in 2010, saying the single woman violated church doctrine. The judge’s ruling last week says Dias was a non-Catholic teacher with no role in ministering or teaching Catholic doctrine.

An archdiocese spokesman says parents who pay to send their children to Catholic school expect them to be taught in an environment reflecting Catholic moral teaching.

The Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper reports that Dias wants compensation for medical bills and other expenses.