New York Attorney General Letitia James led a group of 23 attorneys general who defended tooth and nail a series of regulations that offer protections to pregnant women in the workplace, whose progress some lawsuits are trying to block. . The action puts those who make the decision to abort under the same umbrella.
This is the proposal of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to implement the Fairness for Pregnant Workers Act (PWFA) of 2022.
In a brief filed in the U.S. District Court in Arkansas, James and the coalition opposed a legal action seeking to block the EEOC rule from taking effect.
The PWFA is federal legislation, which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant and postpartum employees, including an employee’s decision to seek abortion services, additional breaks, or excused time off for doctor visits.
Before its passage, a patchwork of laws did not adequately protect pregnant or postpartum workers, putting many at risk of health complications or job loss, with a disproportionate effect on low-income workers and workers of color. .
In August 2023, the EEOC proposed a rule to implement the PWFA that, among many other considerations, requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to workers whose pregnancies are terminated by abortion, typically in the form of time off to attend an appointment. medical or recovery.
“At a time when reproductive health care services are at risk, it is essential to ensure that workers who obtain abortion services are protected by this law. It is made clear, no one should have to choose between their health and their job. Repealing these regulations would put thousands of people across the country at risk,” argued James.
In the brief, the coalition defends the importance of the PWFA and points out that job loss due to pregnancy discrimination can impoverish workers and families, and affect their economic security, at a critical time in their lives.
This rule provides workplace protections for pregnant and postpartum workers, particularly low-wage women and workers of color, who are more likely to experience negative health outcomes during pregnancy.
Clear trend in NYC
Some trends show that a large number of Big Apple women from communities of color do not even have access to medical checkups, even during the first seven months of their pregnancy.
According to the latest confirmed reports from the New York City Department of Health (DOHMH), updated in 2020, an overwhelming 68% of deaths associated with pregnancy across the Big Apple have been Hispanic and African American women. .
But if you take a look at this line, in each borough, without a doubt, Brooklyn tops the list of this specific type of fatalities in parturients with 28%, followed by Queens at 21% and The Bronx with 16%.
Abortion protection
Likewise, the coalition of prosecutors’ criterion is that it was “done very well to include the termination of pregnancy (including through miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion) in the law’s protections for “pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.” ”.
The New York attorney general was joined by her counterparts from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Other actions for reproductive health
- Last May, the New York District Attorney’s Office sued the anti-abortion group Heartbeat International and 11 “crisis pregnancy centers” for advertising an unproven treatment they call “Abortion Pill Reversal.”
- In April, Attorney General James led a coalition of attorneys general urging Congress to expand access to reproductive health services and pass the Family Building Access Act.
- In March, more than 9,500 cans of baby formula were delivered to New Yorkers as a result of an investigation into Walgreens for price gouging on formula during the 2022 shortage.
- In January, the Attorney General led a coalition of 24 attorneys general urging the U.S. Supreme Court to protect access to mifepristone, a pill used to end early pregnancies.
- In December 2023, New York obtained a court order to prevent the militant anti-abortion group Red Rose Rescue from blocking access to abortion care.