Hmmm... I've been following this discussion with some interest because we have recently had an analogous situation. Female surgical trainee (nice lass) with well-off husband (and full time maid) gets pregnant half-way through her training. Everyone very nice about it but it did mean that our small department was one person short for 6/12. When she came back, due to child-care and breast-feeding demands she really was only working at 70% capacity. Now, with the kiddie bigger, she's often late because she has to get the child off to nursery school and early because she has to pick her up afterwards. Everyone is very nice about it mind, but I can't help observing that none of the male trainees with small kids had anything like the same concessions made. I certainly didn't with young Tom.
I guess surgery is a bit like flying, in that first you have to build up a basis of experience (after graduation) and then keep your skills honed by regular exercise.
As for the future, our lass has unequivocally stated that she doesn't ever intend to work full-time after graduating. Was choosing her over a man who would have worked full-time after training fair? I trust that she will gain and retain her proficiency, but I can't see her ever attaining the skill-level of a full-timer, simply because she will always be behind in experience.
There's no doubt that a woman who want to have a family and a career has a difficult juggling act - it's no coincidence that most of the top woman surgeons who I work with are childless. I don't think that it's a matter of prejudice these days (apart from a few idiots), but more a matter of biological facts that are essentially unsurmountable. The GMC (our governing body) is currently frantic because so few women end up as full-time surgeons (they view this as a distinctly un-PC failure and an indictment of themselves) whereas it actually just reflects the realities of the situation. Women know that the job isn't really compatible with raising kids.
For the life of me I can't see an easy answer to this vexing situation and realistically, I don't think there is one. I have sympathy for our lass and for Ms Starmer - both had rights granted to them in law, fought for them and won. Was it fair? Is the law fair? Is life fair? I dunno. And I don't know whether I'll be brave enough to appoint another woman who is likely to have children during her training.