ESSAY: IS THERE DISCRIMINATION?

A management position has opened up due to a recent retirement in the medical office where you work. You and your pregnant coworker are talking about it at lunch one day, and your coworker is very excited because she has been told several times by different senior managers that the next management position available would be hers. The next day, however, it is announced that someone with less experience, education, and time on the job will be taking over the position. Your coworker feels very strongly that it is because she is pregnant and going on maternity leave in two months. Other than two weeks of doctor-ordered bed rest for gestational diabetes, your coworker has an impeccable performance record throughout her pregnancy. Do you feel that your coworker has a valid claim against the medical office? Why or why not? What steps, if any, do you feel she should take next to address this situation? How would she go about proving a violation of her rights? Be sure to discuss a specific law or laws that may have been violated, and use facts to support your answer.