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When superstar Rihanna revealed her pregnancy during the halftime show of the Super Bowl halftime show, the baby bump had Twitter abuzz. In contrast, pregnant coworkers are commonplace, so much so that some may not be familiar with the provisions of a recently enacted federal law.
Nonetheless, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) has been praised by many in the biopharma industry who see it as a much-needed step forward in protecting the rights of pregnant employees.
With its passage in December and implementation in 2023, advocates say pregnant employees can rest easier as they no longer have to worry about the adverse effects pregnancy may have on career advancement.
“Pregnancy and childbirth can be significant barriers to women's career advancement, particularly in physically demanding and high-pressure industries like biotech,” Serena Devi, a communications representative from A Better Balance, told BioSpace.
A Better Balance led the effort to pass the PWFA in December 2022, and the group's mission is to use the law to advance workers’ rights, particularly for women. The measure will become mandatory for all companies with more than 15 employees in June 2023.
The PWFA will address these barriers by requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers unless doing so would cause an undue hardship. The act will allow pregnant workers to continue to perform their jobs safely and effectively and contribute to the biotech...
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