Pregnancy discrimination on the rise.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that it is seeing an “increase in pregnancy discrimination charge filings and lawsuits.” Such charges jumped 19 percent from 1997 to 2006, and lawsuits “increased about threefold from six or fewer per year in the early to late 1990s, to 16 or more per year since 2001.” ThinkProgress has reported on troubling instances of discrimination here and here.

UPDATE: Feministing has more on women’s protections.