The political and spiritual climate in our country has been difficult for some time. We cherish our rights to worship and believe as we choose, and often we’re not challenged in these areas. But one teacher is facing a tough situation.
Portland teacher and well-known pro-life activist Bill Diss has received a ruling in his religious discrimination case against Portland Public Schools. Disappointingly, the court granted the Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment in its entirety, stating that there were no legally significant facts in dispute for the case to go before a jury.
The case arose out of Mr. Diss’ concerns about Planned Parenthood’s involvement in Oregon’s public schools, including his objection to hosting recruitment for a Planned Parenthood program in his classroom. Life Legal presented compelling evidence of the sincerity of Mr. Diss’ religious objection to facilitating a program that violates his deeply held convictions. Unfortunately, the court ruled that for the school to force him to allow Planned Parenthood employees into his classroom to promote their program was in no way a burden on his religious beliefs or activities.
Life Legal attorneys plan to appeal the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. “We are honored to represent Bill Diss and we will continue to fight for his First Amendment rights,” said Alexandra Snyder, Executive Director for the Life Legal Defense Foundation. “The court’s ruling means that teachers such as Mr. Diss should not be afforded the full protection of the Constitution. We vehemently disagree and we look forward to pursuing his case on appeal.”
The decision was issued November 22, 2016 in the Federal District of Oregon by Magistrate Judge Paul Papak.
About Life Legal Defense Foundation
Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a nonprofit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens committed to giving helpless and innocent human beings of any age, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice in the courtrooms of our nation. For more information about the Life Legal Defense Foundation, visit www.lldf.org.
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