A Challenge to the Health of Pregnant Workers—and the Health of Our Constitutional Democracy

PUBLISHED 3/18/2025 by

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act enjoyed broad bipartisan support, easily passed the House, and was favorably reported out of committee in the Senate.

It did not take long, however, for attacks to ensue. The state of Texas, represented by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of PWFA because the House of Representatives had allowed members to vote for the omnibus bill by proxy.

A federal trial judge in Texas, however, held that PWFA was unconstitutional because he believed only “in person” votes could count for determining a quorum. The case is now pending before the federal appeals court for the 5th Circuit.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

Defending the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in the Courts

PUBLISHED 3/18/2025 by and

In February 2024, a federal judge in Texas erased the rights of thousands of Texas state employees, blocking them from pursuing claims under the PWFA. The ruling, which came only eight months after Texas workers, and all workers had finally won long-awaited rights under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, devastated workers and their allies. It also threatened the democratic values that our organizations work to defend.

The 5th Circuit heard oral arguments in the appeal at the end of February. Regardless of the outcome, we will continue to fight in the courts to hold governments to account and to defend the rights of pregnant and postpartum workers, wherever that fight takes us next.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Is Key to Improving Black Maternal Health and Families’ Economic Security

PUBLISHED 3/18/2025 by

The enactment of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) marked a pivotal advance in safeguarding the health and economic security of Black mothers and their families. Black women are disproportionately represented in low-wage, physically demanding jobs where workplace accommodations are often necessary but frequently unavailable.

The PWFA is crucial in combating the maternal morbidity and mortality crisis in the U.S., where pregnancy-related mortality rates among Black women are over three times higher than those for white women.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Saved My Livelihood. Women Nationwide Need to Know About This Important Law.

PUBLISHED 3/18/2025 by

When I was pregnant and working as a custodian in South Carolina, my employer sent me home after I asked for some simple changes to protect my health. Since my requests were so simple, I wasn’t expecting my employer to tell me to stop working. I was blindsided, made to feel like I was the one who did something wrong.

Looking for answers, I came across A Better Balance’s free legal helpline. They told me about a new law called the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), which required that workers in my situation receive accommodations—including changes to their usual work duties—to stay healthy and on the job. I returned to work with the adjustments I needed, and worked right up until I had my baby. On top of this, my employer put up posters—one by every time clock—about the PWFA, so that other workers who might need pregnancy accommodations would know about it.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

Winning the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: A Landmark Victory for Women, Families and Democracy

PUBLISHED 3/18/2025 by

The passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) on Dec. 23, 2022, marked a historic civil rights victory more than a decade in the making. 

The core principle behind this landmark legislation is simple, as I argued in The New York Times over a decade ago—an op-ed which ultimately led to the bill’s introduction: No woman in this country should have to choose between her job and a healthy pregnancy.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

Four Things You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

PUBLISHED 3/18/2025 by

At a time when civil and reproductive rights are under constant attack, there remains at least one bright light: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), a relatively new law that grants landmark protections to pregnant and postpartum individuals in the workplace. The PWFA offers protections of which everyone should be aware, especially those who are or ever plan to become pregnant.  

Here are four need-to-know elements of the law.

(This essay is a part of Ms. and A Better Balance’s Women & Democracy installment, all about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act—a groundbreaking civil rights law ensuring pregnant and postpartum workers have the right to reasonable workplace accommodations. Bipartisan, pro-family and boldly feminist, the PWFA is both a lesson in democracy and a battleground for its defense against antidemocratic attacks.)

The Republican Budget Plan Betrays Women and Their Families

PUBLISHED 3/17/2025 by

If you’re like me, you were following the drama around the Republican funding bill that played out on Friday in the Senate, just hours before the government was set to run out of money. A continuing resolution to fund the government—constructed entirely by Republicans who refused to negotiate a bipartisan bill with Democrats—was finally passed, over nearly unanimous Democratic opposition. Once again, programs that make a profound difference in the lives of women and their families were sacrificed in a high stakes political game, played by people who won’t experience any the real-world impacts.

How to Spot a Fake Abortion Clinic

PUBLISHED 3/17/2025 by

I have a confession: Despite tracking antiabortion fake clinics and their seedy dealings for more years, I sometimes get tricked by one. They’re just that devious and deceptive that even I can get duped.

Here’s a check list of what to look for if you’re just not sure that center near you actually provides or refers for abortion.

Trump Attacks Queer Communities Using Nazi Symbolism

PUBLISHED 3/14/2025 by

Earlier this week, President Trump shared an article on his Truth Social platform celebrating his elimination of trans and queer people from military advertising. The opinion piece published by reporter Jeremy Hunt of The Washington Times, featured a crossed out upside down pink triangle. The inverted pink triangle was a symbol used by Nazis to identify LGBTQ+ prisoners in Nazi concentration camps. In response, LGBTQ+ Americans and allies are expressing fear surrounding the post—marking the third time that someone within or associated with the Trump administration has used Nazi symbolism.