Michigan High School Teacher Fired For Nontraditional Pregnancy
By Lyndsey Kelly
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States of America – Barbara Webb, a 33-year-old, former chemistry teacher at an all-girls Catholic high school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan claims that she was recently fired after announcing her nontraditional pregnancy. Webb has been with her partner, Kristen Lasecki, for five years, and learned of her pregnancy in June. She notified her employer in July, and was subsequently fired mid-August.
Webb worked for Marian High School in Bloomfield Hills for nine years. She was an active staff member and went beyond her duties as a chemistry teacher by becoming the school’s volleyball and softball coach, and student-government moderator. On 27 August, Webb took to Facebook to announce her termination. She says that she believed the visible nature of her pregnancy led to her firing. After learning of her termination, hundreds of supporters gathered at the school on Sunday afternoon to support Webb. Among them were students, parents, and alumni.
Webb told the media that after hearing of her pregnancy the school’s administration gave her a choice between resigning, being fired, or continuing the semester without discussing what happened. The school’s president, Sister Lenore Pochelshi, was contacted for a comment regarding Webb’s termination, and she confirmed that Webb’s employment at the school ended on 19 August, but declined to comment any further. Webb announced that her last conversation with administrators made it clear that the school had growing concern over the morality of Webb’s lifestyle choices.
Webb states that she felt compelled to let people know the truth behind her termination, which is why she took the issue to Facebook. Webb posted, “My job can’t be saved, but the torment that the poor LGBT students at Marian must be feeling, the other LGBT staff, and those that are silenced by fear can be helped.” Webb feels that her termination goes beyond just a mere differing of opinions regarding her lifestyle choices, and says that this is a human-rights issue.
Last year the United States Supreme Court stuck down parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act Since that time, approximately 30 state and federal courts have ruled against bans on same-sex marriage. Currently, a United States Court of Appeals is due to rule on same-sex marriage bans in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
For more information, please see the following:
CHICAGO TRIBUNE – Lesbian Teacher Says Fired By Detroit Catholic School Over Pregnancy – 7 Sept. 2014.
DETROIT FREE PRESS – Gay Teacher At Marian High School Says Pregnancy Got Her Fired – 3 Sept. 2014.
LGBTQNATION – Lesbian Teacher Says Pregnancy Got Her Fired From Catholic School – 3 Sept. 2014.
REUTERS – Lesbian Teacher Says Fired By Detroit Catholic School Over Pregnancy – 7 Sept. 2014.
WHO Report: High Suicide Rate in Asia
By Hojin Choi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
GENEVA, Switzerland – One person commits suicide every 40 seconds in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Report. Among regions, Asian countries have the top suicide rate compared to others. The U.S. remained as the average level. The report is based on the statistical information gathered in 2012.
The WHO estimated that at least 800,000 people kill themselves each year. The most suicide-prone countries were Guyana (44.2 per 100,000) followed by North Korea (38.5), South Korea (28.9), and Sri Lanka (28.8). These countries’ rates were nearly 40 times higher than the countries with the lowest rate. The average rate of the 174 WHO member countries was 11.4. The suicide rate also seems to be affected by the wealth of the countries. Nearly 75.5 percent of the total suicides were committed by low and middle income countries.
The South China Morning Post reported that the Korean peninsula is “one of the most suicidal regions in the world.” The article explains that South Korea’s suicide rate began climbing after the economic crisis of the 1990s. South Korea’s suicide problem is well documented; it has kept the highest rate for the last 10 years among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). A main factor is the extreme stress on the public caused by high competition spread over the society. Statistics Korea, a government branch, reported that the leading cause of death of Korea’s youngest generations, groups ranging from 10s, 20s, and 30s, was suicide rather than traffic accidents and diseases.
The WHO supposed that the main cause of the high suicide rate in North Korea is poverty and stress of living in a restrictive environment. Sandra Fahy, professor of Sophia University in Tokyo, reported that North Korea’s penal system also likely intensifies the suicide problem. In North Korea, criminals’ punishment can be extended to three generations of their family, and it often happens that entire families kill themselves to avoid the collective punishment.
Japan’s suicide rate was 18th in the world, but 4th among the high income countries following South Korea, Lithuania, and Russia. Japan had 29,442 suicides in 2012. India has the highest rate in south east asian countries. India’s rate was 21.1 per 100,000, meaning approximately 258,075 people killed themselves in 2012 alone.
The WHO called for government action to address the suicide issue. Even though the number of suicides in the world has slightly fallen from 883,000 in 2000, the recent report warns, “For each adult who died of suicide, there were likely to be more than 20 others who made one or more suicide attempts.” In other words, the Report’s statistics show the number of people who ‘succeeded’ to suicide, not including those who attempted but failed. Moreover, the Report emphasized that each suicide has a continuing ripple effect. One suicide can induce others to commit suicide or economically affect the lives of surviving families.
For more information, please see:
South China Morning Post – Two Koreas top of global suicide charts, for different reasons – 6 September 2014
The Guardian – North Korea’s suicide rate among worst in world, says WHO report – 4 September 2014
Daily Mail – The suicide map of the world – 4 September 2014
The Guardian – Suicide kills one person worldwide every 40 seconds, WHO report finds – 4 September 2014
The Japan News – Japan suicide rate ranked 4th among high-income countries, WHO report says – 5 September 2014
Bernama – India Tops Suicide Rate In Southern, Eastern Asia In 2012: WHO – 5 September 2014
Estonia – Russia’s Next Target?
By Kyle Herda
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
TALLINN, Estonia – Following a tense week featuring NATO and Russia with Ukraine at the center of it all, it seems that a new player has been dragged into the spotlight: Estonia. Both sides seem to be turning focus towards Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania as things in Ukraine have currently settled in a cease-fire that many are still unsure will hold.
On Friday, the Estonian-Russian border at Luhamaa saw action as Russian soldiers arrested Eston Kohver, an Estonian security officer. Armed men from Russia allegedly crossed the border into Estonia, used smoke bombs and jammed radios in Estonia, and took Kohver at gunpoint with them back into Russia. Kohver has been seen since in Russia being paraded on TV and accused of spying on Russia.
Kohver is a counter-intelligence officer in Kapo, an Estonian agency similar to the FBI in the United States. Until now, Kohver’s job has typically been to keep an eye on smuggling cartels going through the border. Russia’s post-Cold War KGB, now called the Russian Federal Security Service (“FSB”), have claimed that Kohver was arrested in Russian territory with “special equipment for concealed audio recording and documents that bear evidence of an intelligence mission…”
On Wednesday, President Obama traveled to Tallinn to pledge NATO support to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania should they be invaded. Citing Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, all members must defend any ally that faces a foreign attack. While Ukraine is an ally to NATO, Ukraine is not a full member who shares in this Article 5 protection. Estonia, however, is a NATO member under the protection of Article 5.
Claiming to have been invaded in this capture, however, Estonia remains in a tough position as NATO has not responded militarily and there has yet to be any strong response from its members. Considering that thousands of Russian soldiers and tanks in Ukraine were called an “incursion” rather than an actual invasion, Estonia’s recent incident is likely far from anything NATO would consider an “invasion”.
The current position in Estonia is far from the position that Ukraine is in, but Kohver’s arrest has managed to raise an already-high level of concern in the Baltic region. Latvia, another border-nation of Russia, is also worried about Russia’s recent aggression, and Lithuania has voiced concern as well. Russia’s uses of force this year have yet to be met by NATO or any forces other than Ukraine, and so this may be just another test by Putin to see how far he can get away with.
For more information, please see:
The Guardian – Russia says detained Estonian police officer is a spy – 7 September 2014
The Guardian – Russia parades detained Estonian police officer before TV cameras – 7 September 2014
Time – Russia Is Testing NATO’s Resolve in Eastern Europe – 6 September 2014
International Business Times – Ukraine Crisis: Estonia Intelligence Officer Kidnapped at Gunpoint and Taken to Russia – 5 September 2014
BP “Grossly Negligent” in Setting Off Largest Oil-Spill in U.S. History
By Kathryn Maureen Ryan
Impunity Watch Managing Editor
WASHINGTON DC, United Sates of America – On Thursday a judge ruled that oil giant BP PLC (formerly British petroleum) was grossly negligent in its conduct which lead to the blowout that caused an explosion that killed 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and caused the largest oil spill in United States history. Carl Barbier, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, finding of gross negligence, or more reckless and extreme behavior, means that BP faces up to $18 Billion in penalties under the Clean Water Act. BP faces as much as 18 billion in pollutions fines, mostly in penalties under the Clean Water Act, far more than the $3.5 billion the company had put aside to pay for civil penalties it expected under the Clean Water Act. If the judge’s ruling is upheld the payout the company will be forced to pay under the Clean Air Act would be higher than any penalty paid in the history of the legislation. BP shares fell $2.72, or 5.7 percent, to $44.99 per share midday on Thursday, dropping the company’s market value by $7 billion. The price per share was near $60 just before the April 2010 spill.
As a result of the ruling BP now faces a fine under the Clean Water Act of $4,300 per barrel of oil spilled during the 2010 spill. While the total number of barrels spilled is being debated it is likely to fall between 2.4 million and 4.1 million, which would make for a fine of between $10.3 billion and $17.6 billion. BP has said that it will appeal the ruling which will put on hold the final decision on the total fine to be paid by BP and will likely delay pending court cases concerning the 2010 spill.
During the six months after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded more than 8,000 birds, sea turtles and marine mammals were found injured or dead in the Gulf region. Scientists are still assessing the long-term effect that the estimated 170 million gallons of crude oil that spewed into the Gulf of Mexico during the BP oil spill will have on the Gulf and its critical ecosystems. Although oil is no longer readily visible on the surface of the water in the Gulf, it isn’t gone. Scientists have found significant quantities of oil on the seafloor, and the oil that has already washed into wetlands and beaches will likely persist for several years or even decades. Microscopic particulate oil is also hazardous for marine life, effecting life at all levels of the food chain and ultimately impacting the fishing economy in the gulf region.
Scientists will continue to watch for fluctuations in wildlife in the gulf region. Four years after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil disaster, the largest oil spill in United States history until the 2010 BP oil spill, the herring population collapsed demonstrating that the effects of oil on ecosystem’s may take years to be seen. Nearly 20 years after the Exxon Valdez spill the Herrin population has not yet recovered.
For more information please see:
Al Jazeera – Court Orders BP to Pay Up To $18 Billion in Damages for Gulf Oil Spill – 4 September 2014
Bloomberg – ‘Worst Case’ BP Ruling On Gulf Spill Means Billions More in Penalties – 4 September 2014
The Wall Street Journal – BP is Found Grossly Negligent in Deepwater Horizon Disaster – 4 September 2014
The National Wildlife Federation – How Does the BP Oil Spill Impact Wildlife and Habitat? – 2014