I’m a big fan of “morals clauses” in contracts for Catholic school teachers and I certainly hold for the principle that Pacta sunt servanda (agreements once made should be kept), but I am having a hard time seeing my way clear to the firing of a Catholic school teacher for being pregnant outside of wedlock.
I agree with Dr. Peters that the grounds for dismissing this teacher as it's being reported is pretty tenuous. However, I would argue that the reason for the morality clause is that teachers are not actually private persons. It's because they are public persons (or at least quasi-public persons) that private sins that manifest in the external forum can be grounds for dismissal. Sadly, this means that women will be disproportionately affected when it comes to the sin of fornication.
