I recently blogged about Christian “finance guru” Dave Ramsey and the many credible reports of his abusive behavior and management of Ramsey Solutions as a cult-like environment. One of the cases really stood out to me because it involved firing a pregnant employee.
Based on all of Ramsey’s stated beliefs, it is safe to assume he is anti-abortion/pro-life. Yet, his decision to fire a 12-week pregnant employee, Caitlin O’Connor, demonstrates that his obsession with control and judgement are of greater import to him than human life.
When O’Connor “ requested FMLA paperwork for the birth of her child and requested ADA paperwork since her pregnancy is considered a geriatric pregnancy,” Ramsey called a board meeting with O’Connor , followed by a meeting with head of the Human Resources Department when she was reportedly fired for her violation of the company’s “righteous living “policy…namely having sex outside of marriage.
In addition to the sexist nature of Ramsey Solutions in which a senior male employee escaped disciplinary measures despite knowledge of infidelity in his marriage while this female employee was fired, this case is troubling for a number of other reasons.
O’Connor could have chosen to abort her baby, knowing the company culture and likely response by Ramsey Solution’s management. Instead, she chose to keep her baby and request the necessary support to facilitate a healthy pregnancy. By firing O’Connor, Ramsey took away her source of income, AND her health insurance which is critical during a pregnancy. The cost of a pregnancy without insurance is a debilitating cost to most families.
The O’Connor lawsuit requests compensation for “ lost wages, benefits and compensatory damages — attorneys’ fees, costs, interest, reinstatement, front pay and benefits, cost of replacement medical coverage or reimbursement for medical expense.”
This type of situation is exactly the reason that many women have abortions. Often women are shunned by their religious communities when pregnant outside of marriage, do not have the income or health insurance for a pregnancy, much less the income to assist with childcare when the mother secures a job. I couldn’t afford childcare when I was employed with young children. How much worse is the situation for a woman working an entry level job or one without benefits?
If you are anti-abortion/pro-life believer, then providing emotional and financial support to an unwed mother is far more important to saving life, than the satisfaction of judging and looking down on a woman who has failed your moral standard. If you are familiar with the Bible, you can easily think of multiple texts to support this position such as:
John 4 where Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman at the well
John 8 where Jesus told the crowd that anyone without sin should cast the first stone at the women caught in adultery
Luke 7 where a “sinful” woman, cries, anoints Jesus’ feet with perfume, kisses them and wipes them with her hair.
If Dave Ramsey were remotely acquainted or interested in the Biblical teachings which he purports to enforce on his employees, he would realize that he is actually the Pharisee and condemning bystander in these biblical stories. An individual with an ounce of empathy and knowledge of the world in which they live would see the cruelty of firing an unwed, pregnant woman.
______________________________________________ Photo Credit: The Tennessean
Comments