People who are pregnant face significant discrimination in the workplace; facing denials of basic temporary accommodations like breaks from lifting heavy boxes, stools to sit on, and protections from dangerous activities. This results in pregnant people being pressured to either leave their workplace or to be fired for asking for reasonable accommodations. Putting workers in this impossible position between their health and their livelihood reflects a deep moral failing.
We are called as people of faith to care for the vulnerable. People who are pregnant should be able to maintain their employment in a safe way that ensures their health without jeopardizing their means of support. Isaiah 25:4 speaks of being “a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm.” As people of faith, we work to put into place policies that can serve as protection against the ruthless, in this case, employers who discriminate against pregnant workers.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is long-awaited legislation that would provide greater clarity around guidelines for employers on the accommodations that can and should be made on behalf of pregnant workers. It will empower workers to receive those accommodations to ensure they can stay safe and healthy- as is any worker’s right. The legislation emphasizes that it is unlawful to discriminate against pregnant workers by forcing them out of their jobs unnecessarily or by denying them reasonable accommodations.