A Catholic high school in South Jersey has placed a teacher on administrative leave after she entered into a surrogacy arrangement.
It’s a decision rooted in the Catholic Church’s teaching that surrogacy violates the sanctity of human life, sparking discussion among pro-life advocates about the ethics of reproductive technologies.
The teacher, Jadira Bonilla, employed at Sacred Heart High School, was suspended last month after school officials learned she was pregnant as a gestational surrogate, according to a letter sent to parents on September 12.
Bonilla has defended the decision.
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“I’m not committing a crime and I’m being punished as if I was,” she said. “What I’m doing is to help a family out.”
But the letter cited the school’s commitment to Catholic values, stating, “The school’s mission is to form students in the Catholic faith, and all faculty are expected to model those values.”
“We certainly understand Mrs. Bonilla’s concern,” Principal Steven Hogan said in a statement. “It has been our hope to meet with her to help her fully understand the Catholic Church’s teaching on surrogacy, but that has not happened as of yet. Mrs. Bonilla is a valued teacher and one we hope will one day again teach in our school with the full knowledge of our faith which guides our educational principles.”
From a pro-life perspective, the suspension reflects the Church’s firm opposition to surrogacy, which Pope Francis has condemned as “dehumanizing” and a “grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child.” Pro-life advocates argue that surrogacy treats children as commodities and exploits women, particularly those driven by financial need.
The Catholic Church teaches that human life, from conception, possesses inherent dignity and should not be subject to commercial contracts.
The Diocese of Camden, which oversees Sacred Heart, supported the school’s action in a statement: “The Catholic Church teaches that all children are a gift from God, created with inherent dignity from the moment of conception. Surrogacy undermines this truth by separating procreation from the marital act.”
Pro-life groups, including New Jersey Right to Life, commended the decision as a defense of moral principles.
“This is about upholding the truth that every child is a unique person, not a product to be bought or sold,” a spokesperson said.
The case has renewed calls to scrutinize New Jersey’s 2018 Gestational Carrier Act, which legalized compensated surrogacy, with critics arguing it prioritizes financial transactions over the sanctity of life.
Sacred Heart has not specified whether the teacher’s suspension will be permanent. A substitute has been assigned to her classes, and the school is offering counseling to students. The decision has galvanized pro-life advocates, who see it as a stand against anti-life reproductive practices that conflict with Catholic doctrine.
