Calleigh Rutledge told her employer she was pregnant – and she was shocked at their response.
Instead of working with her, she was immediately fired.
And while Dollar General thought they had gotten off the hook – they never expected what Rutledge did next.
Discriminated against because she’s pregnant
While it’s illegal in the United States to discriminate against a worker because she’s pregnant, allegedly Dollar General did just that.
When Rutledge told her store manager she was pregnant, the manager asked her if it was “safe” for her to work.
Rutledge assured her manager she could work and that her pregnancy would not interfere with her job, but the manager refused to allow her to return – and provided her with a letter stating she was “terminated” for health reasons.
Rutledge fights back and files a lawsuit
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) didn’t take too kindly to Dollar General terminating Rutledge’s job simply because she was pregnant.
Dollar General realized they had no case to stand on and agreed to pay $42,500 to settle the pregnancy discrimination lawsuit.
They also agreed to revise their anti-discrimination policies – and train their managers on what they are so this never happens again to another woman.
EEOC was thrilled with the victory and hopes it serves as a warning to other companies to not discriminate against pregnant women.
In a statement, EEOC’s Regional Attorney Marcus Keegan said “We hope this case conveys the seriousness of pregnancy discrimination allegations to employer.”
Keegan continued “The Commission will continue to seek policy changes, training, and reporting in cases like this to protect employees and applicants from facing pregnancy discrimination in the future.”
Pregnancy discrimination is still happening
It’s hard to believe in the year 2023, pregnant women are still facing discrimination in the workforce, but it’s happening all over America.
Many women learn once their employer finds out they are pregnant – they either get reduced hours, or even illegally fired like Rutledge was.
And now with the abortion battle dominating the political landscape, pregnant moms face even more discrimination.
Employers are more than happy to pay for a woman to abort her baby, and even fund her travel expenses to travel out of state to do it.
But for women who want to keep their babies?
There’s no help for them.
Women who choose to abort their babies are applauded and seen as putting their “careers first” while those who choose to have their baby are looked down upon.
Cheers to Rutledge for standing up to Dollar General and fighting not only for herself, but for all the women that will come after her.
Pro-Life Press will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
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