texas judge: firing woman for breast pumping is okay
Texas Judge: Firing Woman For Breast Pumping OK
by Jessica PiekloA
A judge in Houston ruled that a Texas woman who was fired for pumping while at work is not sex discrimination since lactation is not pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.
Donnicia Venters, 30, went on maternity leave pursuant to her companys policy of permitting employees to take open-ended leave for surgeries or other medical conditions. Venters said she consistently kept in touch with management to assure them she would be returning to work and said the president promised to keep a spot for her until her return.
When she called the president to schedule her return to work and asked if it would be okay for her to use a back room to breast pump she was notified that her spot had been filled.
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It strains to reason how firing a woman because she wants to pump breast milk is not motivated by her gender. Texas has a pregnancy discrimination law that requires certain public employers to provide some accommodations. But those protections do not extend to private employers like this case.
Only in Texas will a judge decide that forcing women to have ultrasounds against their will is perfectly acceptable, but accommodating breast feeding is not.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/texas-judge-firing-woman-for-breast-pumping-ok.html#ixzz1lu1yVpXq