A recently-aired segment of ABC's "What Would You Do" confronted the issue and reality of pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. The program placed actors, posing as a manager and a pregnant employee, in a New York area diner to gauge how patrons would react to the manager treating his pregnant employee badly, belittling, harassing and humiliating her as she attempted to do her job while visibly pregnant.
Some of the things said by the manager to the pregnant employee were:
"This pregnancy is taking a toll on you and you can't get the job done!"
"This baby is causing all sorts of problems"
"You got to keep it going, we are running a business over here."
"Step it up or I will send you home."
In response to this reprehensible conduct, many patrons spoke out in defense of the pregnant employee, even reprimanding the manager for treating her badly. Some of the patrons even noted that the manager/actor's conduct was not only disrespectful and wrong, but that it was also something that was against the law.
Pregnancy discrimination is something that is generally protected by human rights laws and is, therefore, an unlawful employment practice.