Facing Termination if I do not abort my pregnancy...

[Heather_C2C]

What is the name of your state? Washington

I am currently 17 weeks along in an unplanned pregnancy. My married boss is the father of the child. When we first met, he told me that he was single. I found out the truth around the time I got pregnant.

As of this week, he has offered me a higher-paying position within the company in a country that I really enjoyed working in. Housing and transportation provided. I'd be able to afford paying off my student debt, and maybe even complete my MBA on schedule. It is an Ideal offer.

The catch: I must terminate my pregnancy or else my boss will terminate my job.

He knows that I am the only breadwinner for my elderly parents and my sick brother. He also knows that I have a lot of debt to pay off, and would have nowhere to live if he fired me from my position (company provides housing currently).

He has given me a few days to terminate the pregnancy, or he will let me go.

I personally have been working very hard towards getting a promotion, and I feel as though my boss is using that as a way to force me to terminate an extramaritial affair and pregnancy he does not want his wife to learn about.

What are my rights? What can I realistically do?

 

[Ohiogal]

Time for you to contact the EEOC.

 

[Taxing Matters]

See an attorney in Washington who litigates illegal employment discrimination cases ASAP. What the employer is doing very likely can be framed as illegal sex discrimination. There is nothing you can do to force him to give you the promised promotion, but you may be able to avoid termination and/or seek money damages if he fires you anyway.

 

[Just Blue]

OG and TM...Could this be reported to LE as blackmail?

 

[Ohiogal]

OG and TM...Could this be reported to LE as blackmail?

I highly doubt law enforcement would do anything about it.

 

[cbg]

Holy Hannah. Get thee to a lawyer now.

 

[Taxing Matters]

Time for you to contact the EEOC.

While I agree that an EEOC complaint would be part of the course of action here, that will be far too slow to provide any immediate help. If she gets to an attorney right now the attorney may be able to contact the employer and explain to the employer the law and that the supervisor is violating it, with the hope that the employer will fix it now, rather than later. The company will, if it is at all well advised, want to nip what this supervisor is doing in the bud before it becomes a real liability.

 

[Zigner]

If she gets to an attorney right now the attorney may be able to contact the employer and explain to the employer the law and that the supervisor is violating it, with the hope that the employer will fix it now, rather than later. The company will, if it is at all well advised, want to nip what this supervisor is doing in the bud before it becomes a real liability.

I got the impression that the "boss" is the owner of the company. I could be wrong, of course.

 

[LdiJ]

I got the impression that the "boss" is the owner of the company. I could be wrong, of course.

Even if he is, contact with an attorney may convince him that he is taking a stupid course of action.

 

[cbg]

She can always go to the EEOC later if it becomes necessary. I don't always recommend lawyer first but in this case I think it's vital.

 

[commentator]

I got the impression "in a country I really enjoy working in" that this person may not be here legally. And, from "he told me he was single" to "he promises he'll provide housing and transportation" the promises she's repeating and the circumstances she's describing are a bit fantastic. Either this is a troll or this person is so uninformed and credulous as to be dangerous to herself and others. Once the pregnancy is terminated, it is terminated, and nothing, repeat NOTHING will guarantee that this person will give you what he says he will give you. How would you prove that you were promised all these things? How would you make him come through with them if he doesn't? Why are you even considering this? He can fire you at any time for any reason anyway. EEOC decisions take a long time to work out. Once the pregnancy is terminated, you have done what he wants, and you are going to be completely disposable to him.

This sounds like less than a legitimate company. If it were any kind of legitimate company, there'd be some sort of complaint to make to others about this very illegitimate employer. But since he is providing everything, including housing and sustenance for aging parents and sick brother....it sounds like this is some sort of small business at best, an illegal under the radar situation (agriculture, perhaps?) arrangement. Hey, he is going to fire you anyway, regardless of what you do, okay? Accept that. Now, immediately, speak with an attorney!!!!!

 

[eerelations]

I got the impression "in a country I really enjoy working in" that this person may not be here legally. And, from "he told me he was single" to "he promises he'll provide housing and transportation" the promises she's repeating and the circumstances she's describing are a bit fantastic. Either this is a troll or this person is so uninformed and credulous as to be dangerous to herself and others. Once the pregnancy is terminated, it is terminated, and nothing, repeat NOTHING will guarantee that this person will give you what he says he will give you. How would you prove that you were promised all these things? How would you make him come through with them if he doesn't? Why are you even considering this? He can fire you at any time for any reason anyway. EEOC decisions take a long time to work out. Once the pregnancy is terminated, you have done what he wants, and you are going to be completely disposable to him.

This sounds like less than a legitimate company. If it were any kind of legitimate company, there'd be some sort of complaint to make to others about this very illegitimate employer. But since he is providing everything, including housing and sustenance for aging parents and sick brother....it sounds like this is some sort of small business at best, an illegal under the radar situation (agriculture, perhaps?) arrangement. Hey, he is going to fire you anyway, regardless of what you do, okay? Accept that. Now, immediately, speak with an attorney!!!!!

Just on a side note, many legitimate American companies send some of their legally-documented employees abroad to perform legitimate company work. More often than not these companies provide their ex/pat employees with housing allowances, and sometimes transportation allowances as well. And sometimes the countries that the employees are sent to are countries that are enjoyable to work in. So I don't see anything particularly fantastic about this employer's offer - yes, the reason for the offer is highly suspect, but not the content of the offer itself.

 

[commentator]

What I find fantastic is that if this were a legitimate American company big enough to be sending people to other countires, that in that case, they'd have someone in their employment who was not a company owner, not some small timer with a very inflated sense of his own power and importance, (believe me those goonies are out there!) who'd pull a stunt like this (abort my baby or be fired!) and try to get away with it. He would be, as we all know, getting this company in all sorts of deep stuffI What would make this person sure they would not be fired anyway if this boss has the power to fire them directly which in this case he seems to have? OP, please tell us, just how big is this company?

 

[cbg]

Although not disputing the main gist of commentator's point, I have worked for two different companies, one with under 100 employees and one which peaked at 120, which had multiple employees on H1-B visas.

 

[eerelations]

My friend worked for a Canadian company with 22 employees and she was sent to Abu Dhabi to work for almost five years. She had housing and transportation allowances + maid service. I worked for a Canadian company that had 208 employees, 40 of whom worked in the US on H1-B visas. They all had housing allowances.

The owner of the Canadian company repeatedly and egregiously sexually harassed his admin assistant in front of clients (including American clients) and employees, including VPs. He got away with it. Given this, I understand why other managers in North America might think they could get away with it too.