Officer Sonia Henriques, who is currently two months pregnant, is concerned that her job could put her unborn child at risk.
When she requested to be put on light duty for the rest of her pregnancy, it was denied by Township officials.
At a council meeting Monday night, Mayor William Larkin said the Monmouth County community should develop a policy to deal with a police officer’s pregnancy. Two of the department’s 62 officers are women.
Her union says management has told the decorated officer to stay on patrol or take an unpaid leave of absence.
Sonia was awarded a medal of valor for persuading a person who had pointed a loaded gun at her to surrender in December.
It is surprising to me that there is no official policy covering this situation. I can’t imagine that Sonia is the first woman to serve on the force to become pregnant…
Refer to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978) and Lochren et. al. v. Suffolk County. May also be actionable under Title Vii (the 1972 amendment to the Civil RightsAct of 1964).