Mom Loses Case Over Unauthorized 10 a.m. Breast-Pumping Bathroom Break
A ruling last week by a divided Ohio Supreme Court in a pregnancy discrimination case is igniting controversy on the Internet.
Although the court didn’t reach the key issue of whether an employer violated a state law barring discrimination against pregnant women, its final dismissal of the claim brought by LaNisa Allen over the unauthorized 10 a.m. bathroom break she took to pump breast milk for her baby is nonetheless being seen as a blow to working moms, according to the Columbus Dispatch and the Juggle blog of the Wall Street Journal.
The court found that Allen didn’t follow the proper procedure in seeking accommodation for the bathroom break she said she needed at 10 a.m. after starting work at 5 a.m. Hence, the issue of whether her Cincinnati-area employer was required to allow her to take a breast-pumping break at that time wasn’t reached, the articles explain.
Additional coverage:
BlogHer: “All Your Milk Are Belong To Us: Breastfeeding is not connected to pregnancy! Who knew!”
Broadsheet: “Lactate on your own time, lady”
