Catholic teacher says she was fired for answering students' questions about abortion, religion

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, July 14, 2026

A Catholic, American-born teacher in Scotland says she was fired after answering students’ questions about life in the United States, including questions about abortion, President Donald Trump and the transgender issue.

Sarah Morse, 66, is taking Arbroath High School, run by Angus Council, to an employment tribunal, alleging discrimination. The tribunal is expected to begin Aug. 24.

In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, a spokesperson for Angus Council said, “This matter is the subject of ongoing legal proceedings and, therefore, it would be inappropriate for us to comment.”

The incident that led to Morse’s dismissal happened in November 2025, according to The Sunday Times. Morse said she was teaching history to students around ages 14 and 15 and had assigned them a worksheet on the rise of Adolf Hitler.

Morse, who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, said her students began asking her about the U.S., including her views on abortion. She said she responded: “I am a faithful Roman Catholic, and I am against it.”

When a student asked about abortion in cases of rape, Morse explained her belief that the preborn child shouldn’t be punished in that scenario. She added that she recognized others might disagree.

Later that day, Morse said she received an email asking her to meet with a senior staff member.

“When I was summoned to the office, I thought it was to go through paperwork and school procedures, such as fire drills after accepting an extension to my contract,” Morse recalled.

Morse said she was “stunned” when she was told instead that her employment was being terminated.

“I was not offered any sort of right of reply, asked for my account of what happened or how my legally protected beliefs were raised in the context of a history class and the head teacher wouldn’t even see me,” she said.

Morse said she was fired for discussing religion and abortion with her students. She insists she never tried to influence their views and that she answered their questions with “short, factual statements of personal belief.”

Though she is Catholic and opposes abortion, Morse said she told her students it was fine to disagree with her.

Morse, who has taught in several countries, including England and Canada, said she has never felt “discriminated against” before. She believes Scotland has a free speech problem.

“To be [‘canceled’] and lose my livelihood because of my religious identity is a terrifying precedent for the teaching profession in Scotland,” she said, according to The Times.

She added that she will never teach in Scotland again, calling the experience an “absolute nightmare.”

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is supporting Morse’s legal action.

“The dismissal of a teacher for respectfully answering a student’s question truthfully according to her conscience is a grave matter," Michael Robinson, executive director of SPUC, said in a statement shared by The Courier. 

“Government guidelines on political impartiality in the classroom do not prohibit the mention of a teacher’s legally protected beliefs, provided there is no attempt to persuade,” Robinson said.

Robinson described Morse as a teacher with “considerable experience” who “acted as a facilitator of open, respectful dialogue — for which she has been punished with the loss of her career, pay and damage to her reputation.”

He said Morse faced a “veiled threat” to “go without a fuss,” or her pro-life views would be noted in her record, potentially affecting her future job prospects.

“The school did not follow any due process. There was no attempt to ascertain from Sarah what had happened, and the headteacher was not present and would not even see her,” Robinson said. “This latest incident of trying to silence someone with traditional or religious views is utterly disgraceful and should worry us all.”

“Sarah did nothing wrong; she simply answered questions from a group of young people about her legally protected beliefs,” Robinson said. “As she said, it was normal, along with questions about more [of] the trivial aspects of living in the US.”

“Our legal team [is] now preparing legal action against the school and the local authority for discrimination, and Sarah is looking forward to her day in court,” he added.