Catholic Lobby Applauds Passage of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

For Immediate Release: September 17, 2020
Contact: Lee Morrow, lmorrow@networklobby.org, 202-601-7871

Catholic Lobby Applauds Passage of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
Sr. Quincy Howard: “It is immoral for an employer to force a worker to choose between a paycheck and a healthy pregnancy, and it is immoral for Senator Mitch McConnell to block these needed protections for mothers.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representative passed the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that would ensure that pregnant workers can continue safely working to support their families during a pregnancy. Our Catholic faith affirms the dignity of pregnant women and the moral imperative of ensuring their safety. We also affirm the dignity of work and the obligation to treat workers justly.

Passing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act into law is a moral and economic imperative. Two-thirds of women who had their first child between 2006 and 2008 worked during pregnancy, and 88 percent of these first-time mothers worked into their last trimester. Keeping these women healthy and in the workforce is paramount to family economic security. Whole families suffer when pregnant workers are forced out of a job.

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice is proud to support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and calls on the Senate to end their partisan obstruction and take it up immediately.

Sister Quincy Howard, OP, Government Relations Specialist for NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said:

“Today we saw passage of the bipartisan Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in the House of Representatives. People of faith understand that prioritizing the health and safety of pregnant workers should not be a partisan issue. As the public health and economic implications of COVID-19 endanger workers across the country, it is critical to protect the well-being of pregnant workers — an especially vulnerable group in the workforce. Ensuring reasonable workplace accommodations for pregnant workers gives much needed security for women supporting their families and new clarity for employers looking to do the right thing.

“Shockingly, this bipartisan legislation will die in the Senate if the morally corrupt leadership continues to prioritize liability protections for wealthy employers over the well-being of vulnerable pregnant workers desperate to earn a living. It is immoral for an employer to force a worker to choose between a paycheck and a healthy pregnancy, and it is immoral for Senator Mitch McConnell to block these needed protections for mothers.”

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NETWORK Lobby – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic Sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a nearly 50-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org