I refer to the letter Pregnant wife thrown out by education department .

Indeed, it is appalling that in this day and age that anyone should think a pregnant woman is a liability to an employer especially a government department which has a sizeable female workforce and the government being the largest employer of women.

The writer claims his wife is a victim of discrimination and I agree. If pregnant, permanent female staff are not penalised for getting pregnant, why should an untrained substitute teacher be subjected to such discrimination (not that I accept that any pregnant woman should be discriminated against)?

What the public should find distasteful and unacceptable is the persecution and penalising of women for doing what I consider their foremost duty - child-bearing. People need to appreciate that this is the most important function of a woman in the survival of the human race.

Instead of punishing women for getting pregnant we ought to be taking greater care of them and celebrating their success.

Pregnancy should not be a woman's burden and it should be society's responsibility to ensure all pregnant women and new mothers are adequately cared for and this should include a respect of their rights as pregnant women. If men could get pregnant, I wonder if they will think differently?

In a free society, companies have every right to stipulate the physical criteria of an employee for particular tasks that require certain physical attributes.

But in today's world where women are also found on the battlefield and in jobs where men used to dominate, there will be few occasions when this is necessary, and a woman's pregnancy should be accepted as a positive service to society rather than one that risks discrimination and lost employment opportunities.

I think it is high time women are treated better, especially those who are pregnant and don't need the trauma of dealing with inconsiderate and faceless bureaucrats who seem better at passing the buck and judging pregnant women rather than caring about their welfare.

Pregnant women can work until very near the date of delivery of their babies and many women go back to work not long after delivering their babies. In some instances, their absence from work will be no more than a couple of months or less.

Those who breast-feed may face practical difficulties but these are not insurmountable and a caring society should give greater respect to pregnant women and appreciate the wonderful function women perform and contribute to society with child-bearing.

I find it insulting to women when they are pregnant and are discriminated against.

Modern society often requires both parents to work. While it is desirable that at least one parent stays home to take care of a pre-schooler, some parents may find their financial situation necessary for both of them to work. If anything, I think companies should be providing creches for employees that need those services.

Let's hope the education department will improve its attitude and change its policy towards the hiring of pregnant women. In this particular case, the writer's wife and others in the same predicament have been innocent victims of a bureaucracy that has bungled and now passes the buck without consideration of the victims’ welfare. It is shameful what they had to go through.

The writer has gone to great lengths to seek redress and publicise his wife's plight and I commend him for taking the trouble. How many victims of bureaucratic bungling have suffered in silence we'll never know.

Our pregnant women deserve better. The law should be changed to make it illegal to discriminate against a pregnant woman.