DC Police Officers Say Department Gave Them ‘Abortion Ultimatum’ When They Got Pregnant
October 22, 2021 By Jordan Davidson
At least two Washington, D.C., police officers said they were told to abort their unborn babies if they wanted to keep their jobs with the Metropolitan Police Department.
D.C. Assistant Police Chief Chanel Dickerson first revealed the “abortion ultimatum” on Tuesday night during a community meeting. Dickerson, who is one of 10 black women suing the police department for $100 million for an unrelated discrimination and harassment case, said the pressure to abort her unborn child happened when she was an 18-year-old in the MPD cadet academy in 1988.
“My choice to have a baby was personal, and it should’ve been mine alone and not for an employer ultimatum,” Dickerson said. “I was told I had to have an abortion or be fired from the MPD cadet program.”
Dickerson chose her job over following through with her pregnancy. She told The Federalist that she resigned from the department in 1991 “but returned to MPD in 1994 as a civilian employee” before becoming a sworn officer in 1997.
Another DC police officer, Karen Arikpo, also disclosed to Fox 5 D.C. that the sergeant who was in charge of her 1997 recruit class with Dickerson told her to choose between keeping her baby or keeping her job. The sergeant reportedly no longer works for the department.
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https://thefederalist.com/2021/10/22/dc-police-officers-say-department-gave-them-abortion-ultimatum-when-they-got-pregnant/
