Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

RICHARD A. SOKERKA

It is extremely rare these days in Wash­ington, D.C. for bipartisanship support for legislation amid all the political infighting. However, there is a ray of hope for a bill that has gained traction among Repub­licans and Democrats alike.

Awaiting a final vote in the Senate is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which seemingly has cleared all hurdles on both sides of the political aisle.

This bill would require employers with at least 15 workers to provide temporary “reasonable accommodations” to pregnant employees — steps such as more frequent breaks, reassignment of hazardous duties, and schedule changes.

It has garnered wide support from the U.S. Catholic Bishops and human rights, women’s rights, labor, business, and family organizations.

The chairmen of three U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees joined the broad network supporting the legislation. Their support is rooted in the shortcomings of existing law that does not fully protect pregnant workers. The bishops also cited the USCCB’s repeated calls “for circumstances of employment that better support family life, especially the challenges associated with having children.”

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 made it illegal for an employer to fire a pregnant worker because she is expecting a child. However, the bill’s advocates said gaps in the law still led to forced leaves of absence or terminations over issues related to a worker being unable to fully carry out assigned duties, not the pregnancy.

The bishops’ support for the measure falls in line with long-standing Catholic social teaching. It has been a priority of the USCCB, which has worked throughout the Catholic network of advocacy groups and social service providers to achieve its passage.

The legislation supporting pregnant workers has been around for a decade, but its passage previously has been held back by a lack of support from lawmakers who argued it forced businesses to take on added costs.

Presently, organizations such as the AFL-CIO, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Organization for Women, and the NAACP are pushing to see the bill made law.

Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., who is Catholic, introduced the bill in the Senate and has worked with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, to build support for the measure.

“The premise of the bill is very simple: Workers should be given simple and reasonable accommodations while they’re pregnant, like a water bottle, a stool to sit on, or a better-fitting uniform,” Casey said. “At its heart, this bill is about supporting pregnant women and their families. It’s also about basic economic security, along with dignity and compassion for pregnant workers. I have been working on this commonsense legislation for a decade. We now have strong bipartisan support and we’re closer than ever to enacting this policy into law.”

It is rare that a bill that is both pro-life and pro-family gains bipartisan support given the agenda of the Biden Administration on these issues.

It is our hope that this bill, which lifts up human life and the dignity of life in the womb, is voted into law as quickly as possible.