Wednesday April 7, 2010
Contraceptive-Making Pharmaceutical Company Sued for Pressuring Employee to Abort Baby
By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
NEW YORK, April 7, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Novartis is the subject of a class action lawsuit in the U.S. due to begin today.
The lawsuit claims that the company has sexist practices that discriminate against women in areas of pay, promotions, and pregnancy-related matters. Among the allegations is that at least one employee was pressured to abort her baby.
The 17 plaintiffs, women who worked for the drug giant in the United States, claim they are representing 5,600 of their colleagues and are seeking total damages of $200 million.
The law firm of Sanford Wittels & Heisler, which is representing the women, said the suit is one of the largest gender discrimination class-action lawsuits ever to go to trial in the U.S.
According to court documents submitted in 2007, when a New York federal court judge granted class-action status to the case, the plaintiffs provided sworn statements describing “differential treatment on the basis of pregnancy or motherhood,” with many of them testifying to comments made by managers “indicating hostility to pregnancy.”
One woman testified that her manager told her he preferred not to hire young women, saying, “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes flex time and a baby carriage.”
Another woman provided a sworn statement saying her manager encouraged her to get an abortion during a training session where women were urged to avoid getting pregnant.
“Our goal is to make clear the problems these women experienced are systematic of deep problems across the company,” said attorney David Sanford in a NY Daily News report.
Novartis, which includes contraceptive drugs among its list of products, was rebuffed by Vatican Radio last year when the news service, which had invited CEO Daniel Vasella to be “Commentator of the Month” in February, learned that the company makes the abortifacient drugs.
“The approach of the Vatican to artificial contraception cannot be subject to the smallest doubt,” Vatican Radio said in a statement when it rescinded the offer to the drug company executive.
“We ask Mr Vasella and our listeners to understand this decision. We have only just learnt from the press that Novartis also produces contraceptives,” the statement said.
See related LSN article:
Vatican Radio Withdraws Invitation to Contraceptive Manufacturer
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/feb/09020605.html