A Christian teacher in the United Kingdom says she was fired after telling a student she was pro-life during a classroom discussion, describing her shock at losing her job over remarks she says were simply an honest response to a student's question.
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she → say → question
Anita Meston, a secondary school teacher who taught French and humanities at Biddick Academy, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview she was covering a history lesson about the bombing of Dresden when students began asking about her views on Israel and abortion.
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students → teach → Israel
Meston said she initially asked students to compare the bombing of Dresden with the conflict between Israel and Gaza in an effort to encourage classroom discussion.
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she → say → discussion
As the discussion progressed, a student asked whether she supported abortion.
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she → progress → abortion
"And I said, 'No, I'm pro-life,'" Meston recalled.
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Meston → say → ?
"And she said, ‘Well, what does that mean?’"
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that → say → what
Meston said she explained that her Christian beliefs would prevent her from participating in an abortion if she worked in a medical setting.
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she → say → setting
"And I said, also, I know women who've had abortions who've regretted them," Meston said.
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Meston → say → them
"And she then responded with, ‘Well I know women who've had abortions who haven't regretted them,’ and I said, ‘Well that's fair enough.’
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that → respond → them
And then we moved back to the lesson, whatever was left of it.
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whatever → move → it
But Meston claims the exchange cost her her job.
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exchange → claim → job
"I was quite shocked actually," she told Fox News Digital, describing a subsequent meeting with the school's head teacher.
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she → shock → teacher
Meston said the head teacher accused her of sharing personal opinions in class before informing her that the school could no longer employ her.
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school → say → her
"She said, 'Thank you very much for your service, but we can't keep you on at the school,'" Meston recalled.
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Meston → say → school
The teacher said the experience left her feeling humiliated despite believing she had done nothing wrong.
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she → say → nothing
"Well, it's shock, isn't it?" Meston said.
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Meston → say → ?
Although I knew that I hadn't really done anything wrong, you still get that sense that, you know, you're being kicked out of your job and having to tell other teachers why and the first teacher I spoke to actually said to me, ‘Well, a lot of us have similar views to you, but we're not keen. ...
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we → know → you
We're frightened to express them.’
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We → frighten → them
"
Jeremiah Igunnubole, Meston's attorney, told Fox News Digital he believes the dismissal was connected to her expression of Christian beliefs and violated protections afforded under British law.
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dismissal → tell → law
"Well, teachers should teach children how to think, not what to think," Igunnubole said.
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Igunnubole → teach → what
He argued that Meston had not attempted to impose her views on students but had merely responded to a question before returning to the lesson.
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Meston → argue → lesson
"She did not seek to indoctrinate.
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She → seek → ?
She did not seek to impose her beliefs on the students.
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She → seek → students
She simply answered a question," he said.
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he → answer → question
Igunnubole said Meston's case is proceeding before the Newcastle Employment Tribunal, where a preliminary hearing is scheduled to address the basic arguments and establish a timetable for future proceedings.
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hearing → say → proceedings
A spokesperson for The North East Learning Trust, which Biddick Academy is a part of, told Fox News Digital in a statement, "While we are not able to comment on this individual case, we have a clear staff code of conduct, which is consistently applied to protect the safety and wellbeing of our children at all times."
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which → tell → times
Fox News Digital reached out to the Newcastle Employment Tribunal for comment.
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Digital → reach → comment
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