Kim Schrier: “I had a high-risk pregnancy, complicated by both advanced maternal age and 24 years of type 1 diabetes. I worked until 2…”

“I had a high-risk pregnancy, complicated by both advanced maternal age and 24 years of type 1 diabetes. I worked until 2 days before my C-section, and I am so grateful that my employer allowed for minor accommodations which allowed me to continue to work. Women are half of our workforce, and 75 percent of those women will become pregnant at some point. Supporting women during their pregnancies is just as important as prenatal care, immunizations, affordable childcare, and public education. We can do that by passing this bill, as well as supporting programs like WIC that help new and expectant parents to provide the proper nutrition and developmental supports to their babies. We all benefit from healthy pregnancy outcomes. It costs us all when a baby is born prematurely and requires months in intensive care. It costs us all when a fetus is exposed to toxins in utero because we couldn't protect the mother from an unhealthy environment and that child then suffers a lifetime of damage that will require public support. It costs us all when half of our workforce may lose or leave their jobs because pregnant women and mothers are not welcomed or supported in the workplace. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from over 40 public health organizations, clinicians, and maternal health providers who support this bill. September 14, 2020. Re Support the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.…”