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Detroit Police Department’s Pregnancy Policies Determined Discriminatory

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently upheld Officer Tisha Prater’s complaint against Detroit Police Department’s pregnancy policies. Pregnant police officers in Detroit are forced to go on unpaid leave when they reveal their pregnancies and are denied light-duty work. The Detroit News reports that Officer Prater was forced to hide her pregnancy by wearing a girdle and by saying her morning sickness was the result of late nights drinking. After capturing a suspect following a foot chase at three months pregnant, Officer Prater said she could no longer hide her pregnancy for fear of harming her baby. funny pictures funny images funny photos funny animal pictures funny dog pictures funny cat pictures funny gifs Officer Prater decided to file a complaint with the EEOC instead of submitting to unpaid leave. The EEOC found that Officer Prater was “forced to take a leave of absence because of her sex,” reports the Daily Women’s Health Policy Report. Officer Terry Hardy, Officer Prater’s scout car partner, told the Detroit News, “I was just so glad when she took it up in her mind to go ahead and fight. It’s just not fair that women want to have families and they have to be stressed out about where their paycheck is coming from.” Similar cases of pregnant police officers, such as Officer Sonia Henriques in New Jersey, being denied light-duty work are the result of the lack of women-friendly policies in police departments.

Sources:

Daily Women's Health Policy Report 05/09/08; Detroit News 05/08/08; Feminist Newswire 05/08/08

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