Minnesota’s Healthy Start Act gives incarcerated people who are pregnant or who give birth during their sentences the option to receive pre- and post-natal care in community-based prison alternatives.
Tag: Pregnancy Discrimination
The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act Would Ensure Equal Protections in the Workforce
The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act will alleviate the disparities that currently exist between breastfeeding employees and their coworkers, sending a clear message that the workforce will protect and support women who opt to balance a career and motherhood.
#ProtectPregnantWorkers: Feminists React to House Passage of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
On Friday, the House passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a crucial piece of legislation designed to guarantee workplace protections for pregnant people.
While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA) provides some protections, pregnancy discrimination is still far too commonplace. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would change that.
Constitutional Rights for the “Unborn” Would Force Women to Forfeit Theirs
If the unborn have 14th Amendment rights, any loss of pregnancy, whether intentional or not, will become the basis for arrest and prosecution. Pregnant people could be sued, or prevented from engaging in travel, work or any activity that is believed to create a risk to the life of the unborn.
The U.S. Is Failing Mothers of Color—But Massachusetts Is Fighting Back
In a historic move to combat systemic racism, Massachusetts lawmakers have passed Bill H.4818, “An Act to Reduce Racial Inequities in Maternal Health.”
Signed by Governor Charlie Baker on January 13, 2021, the bill creates a legislative committee that will examine the racial inequities plaguing Massachusetts’ maternal health system.
Colleges Must Accommodate Students Who Are Breastfeeding—Even in Zoom Classes
A Fresno City College student, Marcella Mares, filed a complaint against an instructor who told her that it was inappropriate to breastfeed her 10-month-old during Zoom classes—even with her camera turned off. This is a prime example of micro-aggressions that student parents experience in college classrooms every day. It is also a violation of the law.
Accommodating Pregnant Workers is a Matter of Reproductive, Economic and Racial Justice
It’s still the case that too many women of color are fired or
forced out when they request a modest workplace accommodation to protect their health. Longer term, pregnancy discrimination pushes women deeper into poverty, jeopardizing the health and economic well-being of our families.
Last month, the House passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. Now, we must call on the Senate to take up this bill without delay.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Passes House with Bipartisan Support
The US House of Representatives passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act which ensures pregnant workers are not denied reasonable accommodations.
Dr. Jamila Perritt of Physicians for Reproductive Health said the bill—if approved by the Senate and president—would “ensure that those who are most likely to work in some of the most challenging settings, like immigrants and those with low incomes, have the humane protections they deserve.”
Pregnancy-Related Death Is a National Crisis. Medicaid Expansion Could Help Address That.
A new study found that when states expanded Medicaid eligibility, pregnant people were less likely to lose health insurance postpartum. That’s a big deal, experts said.
Policing and Punishing Pregnant Women: The Case of Chelsea Becker
For over nine months, 26-year-old Chelsea Becker has been sitting in jail, under a $2 million bail, for giving birth to a stillborn baby.
Becker is one of hundreds of women who have been arrested and prosecuted nationwide after experiencing miscarriages or stillbirths on a range of charges, including fetal assault, child abuse and chemical endangerment.