Enacted in 1973 as a result of the Civil Rights Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, prohibits employers with fifteen (15) or more employees, as well as all state and local government employees, from discriminating against pregnant women in regards to childbirth or related medical conditions.
Women who are pregnant or are affected by pregnancy-related medical conditions are covered under this law. As an exception to this law, costs associated with abortion are not required to be covered, unless the life of the mother is endangered.
Under this law, pregnant employees must be able to continue to work for as long as they are able to perform their work duties, and employers are prohibited from requiring any set period of time off after childbirth before allowing the woman to return to work.
Employer-sponsored health insurance must cover expenses for pregnancy-related conditions on the same basis as for other medical conditions and cannot require any additional or increased deductible amount. Employers must provide the same coverage for the spouse of a male employee as they do for the spouse of a female employee.
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