In my book you can't accuse a company of sex discrimination one minute and then, in the same breath, claim that male and female workers need to be treated differently.
We all have to make choices in life. Sorry to disappoint the PC brigade, but there's no grand rule in life which says that all high-pressure jobs and positions of responsibility have to conveniently fit around motherhood and fatherhood. Bad luck.
Maybe I haven't been keeping up on events but I don't recollect a single female soldier in Iraq demanding to work part-time because they have to be home to look after the kids. They know the requirements of the job and, like professionals, they get on with it.
Personally I think the safety aspect is a red herring. BA's rules are BA's rules. Whether those rules are over-cautious or scarily slack is almost irrelevant - that's the level at which the company works and, if you don't like it, find another airline.
Far from being a step forward for female workers, I think this lady has simply given ammunition to those who think women can't hack it.