Contact: Alexandra Snyder,
Life Legal Defense Foundation, 202-717-7371
NAPA, Calif., Feb. 25, 2016 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Jan England became a Human Services Specialist with the County of Sacramento's Department of Public Assistance out of a sincere desire to help others. Her job was to guide people through the complex web of public social services.
Soon after she was hired, Ms. England realized the County expected her to promote and encourage abortion through the county's benefits programs and to register clients—some as young as twelve years old—for benefits for the sole purpose of terminating pregnancy. These duties violated Ms. England's deeply held beliefs regarding the sanctity of human life.
When she informed her supervisor of her conflict and need for an accommodation with regard to these duties, the County stonewalled.
Federal and state law prohibit employment discrimination based on religion, including "refusing to accommodate an employee's sincerely held religious beliefs."
Instead of providing an accommodation, the County forced Ms. England to certify her compliance with one of the duties to which she had specifically objected. Ms. England again requested an accommodation.
Two days later, the County fired her without reason or explanation.
To add insult to injury, Ms. England's application for unemployment was denied and the County claimed she was fired for misconduct. Ms. England was forced to appeal the denial, a process that included a hearing before an administrative law judge. With the assistance of Life Legal Defense Foundation, Ms. England won her appeal.
As a next step, Life Legal assisted Ms. England in filing a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. After continuing negotiations, a settlement was reached in which Ms. England received monetary relief.
Most importantly, the County of Sacramento agreed to change its policy on religious discrimination to include a proper interactive process for accommodation, and retraining its staff regarding their right to receive reasonable accommodation.
"We are honored to have worked alongside Jan England on this case," states Rebekah Millard, Staff Counsel for Life Legal Defense Foundation. "Jan is a pro-life hero who was willing to stand for her convictions despite very real personal cost. Because Jan took a courageous stand, future employees of the County of Sacramento do not have to be afraid of voicing their need for religious accommodation."
Life Legal Defense Foundation was established in 1989, and is a nonprofit organization composed of attorneys and other concerned citizens committed to giving helpless and innocent human beings of any age, and their advocates, a trained and committed voice in the courtrooms of our nation. For more information about the Life Legal Defense Foundation, visit www.lldf.org.
