A Texas ride-share driver was recently fired from his job after he refused to transport a woman to a Planned Parenthood clinic.
Edwin Graning, employed with Austin's Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS), was assigned to pick up the woman early in the morning.
Before picking her up, Graning called the clinic in advance to confirm someone would be there on her arrival. As he was waiting to leave a message, he listened to a list of the clinic's services.
Graning – an ordained Christian minister – could not go against his religious beliefs.
"Dear God, this woman's going to have an abortion," he said. "I went ahead and called my supervisor at home and told her, 'I can't be a part of this.'"
Graning said he was told to park the van immediately. He was fired the next day.
The American Center for Law & Justice has filed a religious discrimination lawsuit on behalf of Graning, stating CARTS violated Title VII – a federal law that prevents religious discrimination.
"Here CARTS had the obligation under federal law to at least attempt to accommodate Mr. Graning," said his attorney Edward White of the American Center for Law and Justice. "They could have just sent another driver to pick the woman up."
Source: CitizenLink
Date Published: July 21, 2010
