SMFM Statement on Potential Changes to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) and its members voice our strong opposition to any planned rollbacks or other changes by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to the enforcement of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) that went into effect on June 27, 2023. As specialists in high-risk pregnancy care, our members understand just how important the PWFA is to our patients and their health.
The PWFA was a milestone bill that, at long last, provided much-needed workplace protections requiring employers to provide reasonable employee accommodations for known limitations due to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery, or related medical conditions. Under the PWFA, the EEOC explicitly includes miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion as ‘related medical conditions.' These accommodations include such things as bathroom and water breaks, relief from lifting heavy items and standing for long periods of time, and receiving flexible scheduling, leave, or time off for medically necessary, pregnancy-related health issues.
The PWFA is a vital federal protection to help ensure that pregnant people do not lose their jobs because of limitations related to pregnancy. Any changes by the EEOC to enforcement of the PWFA will unnecessarily put the health and well-being of pregnant people and their families at risk.
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About SMFM
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), founded in 1977, is the medical professional society for obstetricians who have additional training in high-risk, complicated pregnancies. SMFM represents more than 6,500 members who care for high-risk pregnant people and provides education, promotes research, and engages in advocacy to reduce disparities and optimize the health of high-risk pregnant people and their families. SMFM and its members are dedicated to optimizing maternal and fetal outcomes and assuring medically appropriate treatment options are available to all patients. www.smfm.org
Media Contact: Greg Phillips, Director of Communications, press@smfm.org