Yes it’s true: In 2012, getting pregnant can still cost you your job.
Thanks to a gap opened between discrimination laws and disability laws by court decisions, some employers are refusing to accommodate even simple requests that help workers maintain a healthy pregnancy.
Here are three startling examples of women who, thanks to the pregnancy loophole, were fired for doing what was best for their pregnancies:

• A retail sales associate in Salina, Kansas was fired for drinking water while working because it violated store policy.
• A nursing home activities director in Valparaiso, Indiana lost her job because she could no longer lift heavy tables, an activity that took up less than 10 minutes of her workday and with which her coworkers routinely volunteered to assist.
• A pregnant truck driver in Tennessee was instructed by her obstetrician not to lift more than 20 pounds and sought light duty work. Her employer terminated her, as it made such modifications only to those injured on the job.

Sounds crazy, right? Unfortunately, thousands of pregnant women are forced to choose between losing their jobs (or taking unpaid leave) and endangering their pregnancies, when just a few small workplace accommodations are usually all that’s needed.
To close this egregious pregnancy loophole, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was introduced today in the House of Representatives by Reps. Nadler (D-NY) and a number of his colleagues. To give this bill a solid start, we need as many Representatives to co-sponsor this bill as possible.
Will you take 3 minutes to call your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act? Calling is easy to do.

1. Call (202) 224-3121.
2. Tell the operator who answers the phone the name of your Representative. (Not sure? Look it up here.)
3. Once you are connected to the office of your Representative, tell the staff person who answers:
   • Your name, that you are a constituent from (city, state).
   • I am calling to ask you to co-sponsor the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. It’s time to close the pregnancy loophole and ensure that pregnant women are treated fairly on the job.
   • Thank you.
4. Hang up and ask your friends or co-workers to make a call as well.

Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,

Emily J. Martin Vice President and General Counsel National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Want to learn more? Read the Op-Ed in The New York Times that inspired this bill. And check out a fact sheet on the bill from the National Women’s Law Center.