Saturday, March 13, 2021
The Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA) prohibits discrimination in employment based on sex. The state law defines “sex discrimination” to include “discrimination because of or on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.” In
South Texas College v. Arriola, a Texas appellate court considered for the first time whether the TCHRA protects an employee who has announced her intention to become pregnant.
Cynthia Arriola was an accounting group manager with South Texas College. In July 2017, Arriola informed her coworkers and supervisors that she was attempting to get pregnant. The employee claimed that her supervisors “reacted negatively to this news and [Arriola] was disciplined and harassed as a result.” She asserted that shortly after she complained of this treatment, the college terminated her employment.