Pregnancy bias is alive and well in America

[xchrom]

http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/15/10417141-pregnancy-bias-is-alive-and-well-in-america

It’s hard to imagine we still have to tell employers this today, but here goes: Pregnancy discrimination is illegal.

While it may sound obvious to some, blatant pregnancy bias is still alive and well in the workplace. A pregnant woman who applied for a job at a Subway franchise in Phoenix was told by a manager “we can’t hire you because you’re pregnant.” Last month, she won punitive damages against the employer.

It’s just one example of the types of flagrant pregnancy discrimination that the federal government is trying to stop.

“A few employers have forgotten, or never learned, that it’s against the law to discriminate against women because of pregnancy,” David Lopez, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's general counsel, said during a public meeting before the EEOC commissioners Wednesday.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I was fired from my job in 1969 for being pregnant. It was legal to do so back then.

[Nikia]

2. I am slightly worried about this

Shortly after I left my job, I found out that I was pregnant. I am now around 3 months pregnant. Having had three previous miscarriages and being 34, I did not consider abortion. Last week, I had an ultrasound and found out that I do have a healthy pregnancy that is very likely to make it.
I worry though that this will soon affect me in my job search. Even if I get a job soon, I worry about how my new employer will react.
When I was pregnant with the child I have, I did have a 40 pound weight restriction when I was 7 months. Because it was a small part of my job, less than 15 minutes of a 9 hour day, it was a relatively small accomodation but people made a big deal about it. When I was 3 weeks from my due date, I was more restricted but still had things to do that allowed me to work until the Friday before my due date, which was on Sunday. I told them that week that I was going to take my leave. Several people made comments that I shouldn't do that because I might not have the baby until after my due date. Luckily I did have my baby on my due date. I did think that their comments were a little rude and insensitive and I did think that it would be better to have all my projects done and for them to know when I'd be gone rather than suddenly going into labor at work in the middle of things.
As far as pregnancy discrimination where someone lost her job, a former acquaintance of mine was fired as a nursing home CHN when another employee had told her boss that she complained that her back hurt a little bit when she was 6 months pregnant.