WASHINGTON — The US Supreme Court weighed the issue of workplace discrimination against pregnant women Wednesday, as activists outside the building unfurled banners in support of a delivery driver at the center of the case.
Peggy Young, a former driver for the UPS delivery service, claims she was the victim of discrimination in 2009 when she sought a change in her working conditions after conceiving through in vitro fertilization.
Her doctors had ordered her to avoid carrying parcels heavier than 20 pounds, but her job conditions required her to be capable of carrying more than 70 pounds.
UPS had refused to give Young a position in charge of "light" packages, arguing that those jobs were reserved only for employees with injuries or disabilities, effectively forcing Young to take seven months of unpaid leave, forfeiting her health insurance.
After suffering a recent defeat in another women's rights case on contraception, feminist activists are hoping for a different outcome this time. Banners reading "Stand with Peggy" were unfurled outside court before the hearing.
Speaking on the steps of the Supreme Court, Young said she was "hopeful" of victory. The Supreme Court will make its decision on the case before June next year.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2014
