Posted on 01/09/2012 7:16:38 AM PST by Morgana
TUCSON, Arizona, January 9, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An Arizona college student who stopped in at her workplace wearing a pro-life t-shirt quit her job rather than obey a supervisor who ordered her to turn the “Pray to End Abortion” shirt inside out. Renise Rodriguez, a 21-year-old religious studies major at the University of Arizona, worked as a Girl Experience Associate for the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona in Tucson. When she went to her office on Jan. 3 during her off-duty hours to prepare materials for a meeting, she was told twice by a supervisor that if she planned to stay in the office, or attend a troop meeting, she would have to turn her shirt inside out.
“I started to get emotional because of the way I was treated so I left without preparing for the meeting and told my co-worker that she would have to get the stuff together,” Miss Rodriguez said. “As I was driving out, I called a friend crying and told her the story. I was so shocked at the way I was treated. After contemplating it for the rest of that day, I decided to write my letter of resignation.” Her letter did not specify her reason for resigning, but she plans to discuss it with another supervisor when she does her formal exit interview.
“It is the courage and conviction of young people like Renise that gives us hope that we are closer than ever to winning this battle and bringing an end to child killing in America,” said Bryan Kemper, Director of Youth Outreach for Priests for Life. “Young heroes like Renise prove this generation is a pro-life generation.”
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, applauded the young woman. “What does the pro-life movement need the most right now? It is not large numbers of people who believe abortion is wrong; it is a small, courageous band of people who are willing to risk and sacrifice everything to end abortion,” he said.
“Renise is exactly that kind of person, who has not only the right attitude about abortion, but the passion it takes to make the protection of the unborn our number one priority!” he added.
Noting the shirt Renise was wearing was designed by Stand True Ministry, a pro-life youth organization he founded, Kemper said, “We will be sending her several more of our pro-life shirts to help her stand up and be a voice wherever she is.”
What a courageous young person and from AZ at that!
Another reminder why the Republican pitch to Hispanics this year should be that a vote for a Democrat is a vote to fund the killing of babies in the womb. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.
Girl Scouts don’t believe in free speech.
Pray for America
If I were an Arizona businessman I would hire her in a heartbeat.
First, if her employer had a policy that t-shirts with messages were not allowed, she was wrong.
Second, GSA is NOT a Christian organization and it has worked with Planned Parenthood on preparing materials for girls. This young woman should have known that. If she feels so strongly about the wrongness of abortion, she shouldn’t have been working there.
She is not a hero for standing up. She is a fool for not knowing the organization she worked for better.
Agreed. I applaud her pro-life views, but, the incomplete story doesn’t tell us if ANY social/political message on clothes violates a dress code, or other code of behavior of the organization.
It’s been 15-16 years that I was teaching at a so-called Christian school. I had a school administation-approved, pro-life bulletin board in my class. Mind you, no pics, just bumper stickers, clips from NRLNews... I was called to the headmaster’s office and somehow I knew what was coming, so I searched a passage in my Bible and took it to the meeting. I was told, just like I expected, that I had to take my bulletin board down. I answered by reading Jer 20:9 “his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary from holding it back, and I could not”. I told him if he wanted to take the bulletin board down, he would have to send somebody else, or do it himself. I reckon I was lucky they let me finish the semester, rather than being fired on the spot.
If she was working for the Boy Scouts of America and she showed up at a local Council office wearing such a T-shirt they would have told her exactly the same thing. Organizations such as the BSA and the GSUSA should not be in the business of projecting political or socially controversial messages. The fact that we happen to agree with the message doesn’t change that.
But...will never buy a cookie again. I'll bake my own first.
I hear laughing...Is that my kids??? Why are they laughing??
And yet, the Boy Scouts of America are castigated for not allowing homosexuals access to the Scouts!
Brave young lady. A shame she didn't go on the record as to why she was leaving, though.
Since there is no reason yet to suggest such a dress code exists there is no reason to believe this story is "incomplete".
Given what I've gathered about the Girl Scouts, I would guess that enforcement of such policies are extremely lopsided.
Finding abortion immoral is religious. Stating that you want to end it is political.
Would this supervisor have had any issue at all with a "Save the Whales", "OWS", or "NOW" shirt. I seriously doubt it.
Interesting how the Girl Scouts has gone Leftist, while the Boy Scouts are crucified for now allowing homosexual pedophiles to be Scout Masters.
Almost every workplace in the US has rules, similar to this. Try showing up to YOUR workplace with a shirt like that; and see how it goes. Most companies have a dress code that explicitly states that wearing shirts with a political/ religous or ‘hate’ message are prohibited while on company property.
She wore that shirt to work, to elicit an response. She got one, now she’s crying about it.
When you get a paycheck, you forfeit some of your ‘rights’. While at work, you don’t have the right to freely associate, you can’t write whatever you want, whenever you want, you can’t talk about whatever you want, whenever you want. You can’t decide to hold a religous ceremony any place you want, whenever you want.
Welcome to the workforce. You trade some of your personal freedoms for a paycheck. If at any time, you feel your personal freedoms are worth more to you than your paycheck; you are free to leave.
Chances are that if she wore a shirt with a Pro-Abortion message, she would have faced the same scenario. For those who have never held a job before, here’s a hint: “The Workplace is not the place to discuss politics or religion”.
Does the organization have a policy against all politically oriented messages on clothing? Is there a dress code for all staff?
First of all “Pray to end abortion” is not political it is religious. She was discriminated against by religion. There are laws against that.
Second this was her day off. It was “her time”.
Third having worked as a leader for the Girl scouts no there is no dress code unless you take into account the “dyke dress code” that most adopt.
There is a uniform you may wear if you wish but it is not enforced.
And yes the Girl Scouts does discriminate in other matters of dress ask me how I know!!!!
Now wait a minute. This was not a regular work day. This was her own time and her day off.
How many of you have ever gone to work on your day off? How were you dressed? Think about it. These were not normal office hours anyway.
I understand a “dress code” during normal office hours but when an employee comes in on their own time then that is way different. Often because they did not have time to change and was in a hurry to go from one place to the next.
Tell the Super, “There is no written policy that I’m violating and I’ll keep the shirt on.”
Follow-up:
“Which part of the Girl Scout charter supports abortion?”
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