All working mothers – and those who aspire to someday be mothers – should have their eyes on the U.S. Supreme Court this week.
On Wednesday morning, the Court heard oral argument in Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc. In this case, Peggy Young, a former UPS delivery driver in Maryland, is suing UPS for not accommodating her with light-duty work during her 2006 pregnancy, as they have for drivers with other work impediments, including drunk-driving convictions.
The case tests the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 and will revolve around the issues of the legal lengths to which a company must travel in order to accommodate pregnant employees and whether it makes accommodations for non-pregnant employees with limited ability to work. For those of us who are right of center, what may be most interesting to watch is how this case pits business interests, represented here by UPS, against pro-life groups, who are here allied with the ACLU, the AFL-CIO, and other atypical bedfellows. Young could have far-reaching implications for mothers everywhere. For more on this case, see SCOTUSblog.