Renting Your Uterus?: Catholic School Suspends Teacher Over Surrogacy
Jadira Bonilla, a 35-year-old kindergarten teacher at St. Mary Catholic School in Vineland, New Jersey, says her decision to help another family by becoming a surrogate has put her career in jeopardy.
Bonilla, now 25 weeks pregnant, was placed on paid administrative leave on September 12 after disclosing her surrogacy to school leadership. She recalls being shocked by the response, especially when her principal allegedly told her, “You’re renting your uterus?”
For Bonilla, the decision to become a surrogate was deeply personal and compassionate. She was first inspired at age 18 after watching her cousin struggle with infertility, and again in 2018 after reading an article about couples unable to have children.
That same year, she reached out to a surrogacy agency, eventually delivering her first surrogate baby four years later. When the same family asked her last year to carry another child, she agreed without hesitation.
This time, however, the consequences were swift. She says she was told by Principal Steven Hogan and officials from the Diocese of Camden that she might be in “possible violation” of her contract, though she claims no written explanation of what provision she violated has ever been given.
The Diocese’s employee handbook notes that staff may be disciplined or terminated for conduct contrary to Catholic doctrine. The Catholic Church has long opposed surrogacy, framing it as a violation of human dignity and the natural order of procreation. Just last year, Pope Francis reiterated calls for a global ban, calling surrogacy “deplorable” and exploitative.
In a statement, Hogan emphasized that Bonilla remains a “valued teacher,” saying, “It has been our hope to meet with her to help her fully understand the Catholic Church’s teaching on surrogacy. We hope she will one day again teach in our school with the full knowledge of our faith, which guides our educational principles.”
Bonilla says she has no regrets about helping another family but admits the experience has been overwhelming: “It’s been stressful. Just not knowing—where do I go from here? What’s going to happen with my job?”
At the heart of this controversy lies a broader reminder: every child has the right to be born into a safe and loving environment, free from discrimination tied to the circumstances of their conception. The principle of the child’s best interest underscores that no matter the path to life, dignity, protection, and care remain paramount.
