ACLU Files Discrimination Claim on Behalf of a Woman Fired for Becoming Pregnant
Alleges Former Employer Has a Pattern of Dismissing Pregnant Women
February 26, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
SPRINGFIELD, OH – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Ohio filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of Springfield resident Jennifer Maudlin, a single mother of two, against Inside Out, a religiously-based community organization.
The claim alleges that Inside Out fired Maudlin in September 2012 after she divulged that she was pregnant. The ACLU also cites a pattern of hostile treatment toward other women who became pregnant while working at the organization.
"I just want to be able to work a decent job that allows me to provide a good life for my children," said Maudlin. "I should not have lost my job just because I was pregnant."
"When an employer fires a woman for becoming pregnant, that is illegal," said ACLU of Ohio Legal Director James Hardiman. "Every person has the right to bring children into the world without fear of reprisal by their employer."
According to Maudlin’s EEOC claim, both married and unmarried women who become pregnant while working at Inside Out face hostile treatment, a pattern that has created "a culture of fear" among many women at Inside Out.
"Jennifer Maudlin was working hard to support her child, and to make a life for her new baby," said Mie Lewis, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. "Firing her is not only illegal; it is akin to taking food out of her children’s mouths and the roof from their heads."
