Sad News in Oregon
Many of you have followed the story of award-winning Portland, OR high school teacher Bill Diss, who was targeted by abortion advocates because he discouraged his students from attending a Planned Parenthood presentation. A disciplinary hearing was held on November 14 to determine whether or not Mr. Diss would be declared “unfit to teach” and stripped of his credentials. Although Oregon is one of the least pro-life states in the country, Mr. Diss refused to roll over, and many pro-life Oregonians came out to support him.
I’m sorry to report that, according to Students for Life of America, Mr. Diss has lost his fight.
Shortly after the hearing, Secular Pro-Life wrote:
Mr. Diss warned his students not to trust Planned Parenthood, which was on the campus for a sex education program. Planned Parenthood has, among other things, been caught providing false information about prenatal development in order to make abortion appear more acceptable. . . .
Mr. Diss may have taught his students a more valuable lesson through this ordeal than he has in any classroom. His resolute commitment to doing the right thing, in the face of oppression and ridicule, is very admirable. The students of Portland, Oregon deserve to keep a teacher of such conscience and courage.
Sadly, they have lost their teacher. Worse, the young people of Portland now know the consequences of crossing the powers that be. They know that by speaking up for what is right, they risk put their jobs on the line. They know that the safe course of action is to keep their mouths shut.
What a horrible lesson for them to have to learn.
He broke the rules of the school, but the punishment does not match the infraction. He absolutely should not have lost his job.
As an Oregonian native, I am ashamed of my beloved home state today.
This makes sense when you stop to think that the hard core pro-aborts want to silence all voices that are not enthusiastically pro-abortion, and supportive of the biggest abortion promoter in the country–Planned Parenthood.
He may have broken the rules. But no school (or any other employer for that matter) has the right to fire or censer employees on matters of conscious. This is a first Amendment issue, he has freedom of speech, that includes not being forced by ones employer to condone something that one believes is wrong.