Her worst fear

by Emily J. Martin, National Women’s Law Center

When Svetlana Arizanovska found out she was pregnant, she was very excited. A mother of three daughters, Svetlana worked two jobs to support her family. By day, she worked for a medical supply company. At night, she worked at Wal-Mart.
At Wal-Mart, Svetlana often lifted heavy merchandise to stock the store’s shelves. Due to her pregnancy, her doctor told her not to lift more than 20 pounds — but Wal-Mart refused to comply. In fact, Wal-Mart has a policy saying pregnant employees are not eligible for reassignments to another position, even though reassignments are available when employees need them because of a disability. One day, while she was lifting heavy merchandise for Wal-Mart, Svetlana started bleeding. She told her boss, but he ignored her.
The next morning, Svetlana went to the emergency room and realized her worst fears were true — she had miscarried.
No one should have to choose between her pregnancy, her health, and her job. But that’s exactly what happens to many women like Svetlana.
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Employers typically accommodate workers with limitations due to a temporary disability and often accommodate workers with injuries — but when pregnant women need a temporary change in their job, many bosses refuse to make even the smallest adjustments. They may not know they’re breaking the law when they deny women like Svetlana the ability to work without compromising their health or the health of their pregnancies.
Too many pregnant women have been faced with a choice no one should have to make: Keep working and risk the health of their pregnancy — or lose their job. It’s time for employers to stop breaking the law by using pregnancy as an excuse to push women out of work.
It’s up to us to take a stand against policies that punish women.
Your donation will help us fight back. We depend on your support for our work on behalf of women and families.
Thank you, as always, for everything you do.
Sincerely,
Emily J. Martin Vice President and General Counsel National Women’s Law Center
P.S. We depend on your support to help us fight for women and their families. Please help us reach our $10,000 goal before midnight on Thursday.