Liz Linehan

I was proud to introduce legislation protecting pregnant women in the workplace on the House floor on Tuesday. HB 6668, An Act Concerning Pregnant Women In The Workplace, strengthens current protections for pregnant women under the state’s anti-discrimination law.

Under the legislation, employers would be required to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees, such as being allowed to sit while working or taking more frequent breaks. It would also prohibit limiting or segregating an employee in a way that would deny her employment opportunities due to her pregnancy and forcing a pregnant employee to accept an accommodation if she does not need one.

No woman should face discrimination at work because she chooses to start a family, yet in 2017 the way we treat pregnancy continues to be a barrier to women’s advancement. It’s not just women who are affected by the loss of wages or missed opportunities – it’s their families, the children they support, and our economy.

Workplace protections for pregnant women benefit employers by reducing turnover, increasing employee morale and productivity, and reducing workers’ compensation costs. A strong economy requires the full workforce participation of women, and we all lose when women are left behind or sidelined in the workplace because of a pregnancy.