NWLC Applauds the EEOC’s Rule Implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
(Washington, D.C.) Today, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a final rule to implement the historic Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which protects the health and economic security of pregnant workers by guaranteeing their right to reasonable workplace accommodations.
The EEOC’s comprehensive rule will make the protections of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act accessible to the workers who need them. The rule makes clear that pregnant workers are entitled to reasonable accommodations that address the wide range of health care needs they may experience, including abortion-related accommodations, without unnecessary barriers or delays.
The following is a statement by Emily Martin, Chief Program Officer at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC):
“We applaud the EEOC for issuing strong regulations to implement the groundbreaking Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. These regulations will help ensure that pregnant workers have meaningful access to accommodations and employers can no longer use pregnancy as an excuse to push workers out of their jobs. These regulations will help ensure that no one has to choose between their jobs and their health or the health of their pregnancies. We are also gratified that despite attempts by anti-abortion extremists to play politics with our lives, the EEOC remained true to the law and followed long-standing precedent that prohibits discrimination against workers who decide to have an abortion. This comprehensive rule will help pregnant workers maintain their health and economic security at a time when they face escalating attacks on their rights.”
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