Jadira Bonilla, a kindergarten teacher at St. Mary Catholic School in Vineland, NJ, finds herself in a professional predicament due to her decision to become a surrogate.
Bonilla said the issue came to light about two weeks ago when she informed a school official about her surrogacy. She was shocked by the response.
Bonilla, who previously served as a surrogate while working at a different Catholic school, was surprised by a colleague’s reaction: ‘You are renting your uterus?’ she recounted, having thought she was doing nothing wrong.
A few days later, she was called into a meeting with school and church officials.
“They said I was possibly in violation of my contract and that I would be suspended or placed on administrative leave,” she said.
Now 25 weeks pregnant, Bonilla was placed on paid leave beginning September 12 but has yet to receive any formal explanation regarding which contractual obligations she may have breached.
The Catholic Church has long had issues with surrogacy, viewing it as a violation of human dignity and the natural order of procreation.
St. Mary School released the following statement:
The school expressed a desire to meet with Bonilla to clarify the Catholic Church’s stance on surrogacy, emphasizing that they value her as a teacher and hope she will return to her role with a comprehensive understanding of their faith’s educational principles.
Bonilla said she has no regrets but admits the past few weeks have been difficult.
“It’s been overwhelming. It’s been stressful. Just not knowing-where do I go from here? What’s going to happen with my job?” she said.
She has a meeting scheduled with church and school officials to discuss the matter further on Saturday.
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