Pregnant ladies already get to eat just about any crazy ol' thing they want, but one politician wants to make sure they can park wherever they want to as well. Councilman David Greenfield plans to introduce legislation next week that would grant special parking placards to pregnant women whose doctors say they have physical or mobility challenges. "If I'm on a train and a pregnant woman walks in, I stand up and offer her my seat. I consider this legislation to be the same thing - standing up on the City Council for women who have difficult pregnancies," said Greenfield.
It's too bad the eight-months pregnant woman who was given a $75 summons when she couldn't find a seat wasn't on the same train as Greenfield. With the new legislation, the women would be able to park for free in no-parking or no-standing zones during their pregnancies, and up to 30 days after. There are already similar laws on the books in at least two states, Georgia and Oklahoma.
Critics argue that changing the parking rules may further stigmatize pregnancy, at a time when workplace discrimination is already on the rise. "A lot of bosses just don't think you'll be as dedicated, that you're as nimble or fast, mentally or physically. You see women's career paths completely take a wrong turn as a result of getting pregnant and becoming mothers," said Sonia Ossorio of the National Organization for Women in New York City. Paul Steely White of Transportation Alternatives agrees, saying it would create another entitled parking group, when there are already too many special and illegal parking permits floating out there. Greenfield, an old fashioned gentleman if ever there was one, scoffs at those criticisms: "Pregnancy is not a disability. It's a temporary condition...This is the city providing a common courtesy."
