FILE: Image of a pregnant woman. Photo credit: Deseret News, Sara Reid
WASHINGTON, DC — Some Utah moms are pushing for a fairness bill in Congress to give pregnant workers more federal protections.
The Fairness for Pregnant Workers Act “prohibits employment practices that discriminate against making reasonable accommodations for qualified employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.”
Under current federal laws, a pregnant woman cannot be fired for being pregnant. But more protections are needed for workers while pregnant said Bountiful mom and advocate Heather Dopp.
“You don’t have the right to go on ‘light duty’ so-to-speak if you’re a high-risk pregnancy,” said Dopp. “Or say you’re a cashier at a grocery store, you don’t have protections to say — provide you a chair.”
Dopp is one of Utah’s delegates for Mom Congress — a nationwide group of mothers who advocate for different policies to benefit moms and families.
She says the bill is being held up by a group of GOP lawmakers.
“In the House there is a proposal to do a religious exemption,” said Dopp, who recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. to push for this legislation.
“So you can kind of discriminate who you provide that care for based on, maybe, religious preference or if they’re in an LGBTQ relationship.”
Sen. Romney is a co-sponsor of the bill. All of Utah’s House delegation voted to support it. Dopp refers to Sen. Lee as one of the group’s “biggest roadblocks,” but this has not been independently verified.
KSL NewsRadio reached out to Sen. Lee’s office and received no response as of Monday. Sen. Romney’s office said Utah’s junior senator couldn’t comment because the senate is out for the Rosh Hashana holiday.