A Catholic school teacher in South Carolina is claiming she was fired over pro-abortion posts she shared on her personal Facebook page.
For 16 years, Elizabeth Cox taught at Bishop England High School in Charleston, a school run by the Diocese of Charleston, before being dismissed at the end of last school year, according to her lawsuit first reported by The Charlotte Observer.
According to her suit, Cox received a letter that stated:
The school has become aware that you have a public Facebook account which identifies you as a teacher at our school and publicly supports abortion. As you know, this is contrary to the mission of the Church and our school and is materially incompatible with your duties as a Catholic school teacher.
Cox reportedly quoted feminist icon Gloria Steinem in one Facebook post, writing, “How about we treat every young man who wants to buy a gun like every woman who wants to get an abortion — mandatory 48-hour waiting period, parental permission, a note from his doctor proving he understand what he’s about to do.”
In another, she shared a Washington Post article about comedian Leslie Jones. The headline read, “Leslie Jones leads the charge against Alabama’s abortion ban in the SNL season finale.”
One other post declared, “I’ll start believing you’re pro-life when you…” The post went on to list things like “ban guns” and “have free healthcare for all.”
What does Cox have to say?
Cox, for her part, is claiming in her own lawsuit that both the school and its principal violated her rights to free speech.
The suit argues they “committed a criminal offense by discharging [Cox] because of her political opinions, free speech and/or exercising the political rights and privileges guaranteed by the United States and/or the South Carolina Constitutions.”
Her lawsuit claims she was fired over three personal Facebook posts.
The Diocese of Charleston has not yet commented on the case.