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One Big Step Forward

Maggie Gram,
New York Civil Liberties Union
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June 15, 2006

Breen reports:

Yesterday’s favorable verdict resonated as a significant step forward for women in policing, women in non-traditional forms of employment and for all women in every walk of life. The jury firmly recognized the discriminatory impact the Suffolk County Police department’s April policy had on pregnant women, awarding at least five thousand dollars in damages to each plaintiff for her suffering. Fortunately for women everywhere, this finding will militate against policies that negatively affect pregnant women. Pregnancy discrimination is seemingly on the rise, as more and more women are filing such claims. The Lochren victory is an important achievement in the ongoing fight for equality between the sexes and reproductive rights.

As interns, clerks, reporters and attorneys rushed into the courtroom yesterday evening to hear the verdict, the plaintiffs and their attorneys prepared themselves for what was to come. The energy in the room reached a silent crescendo as the jury foreman began to render the verdict.

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