United States federal law protects individuals from pregnancy discrimination. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which was passed in 1978, prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. However, there is evidence that a pregnant employee must produce to win a pregnancy discrimination case. In 1996, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Chicago gave employers some protection in dealing with pregnant employees. In this case, a woman was fired for tardiness after morning sickness kept her from reporting to work on time. She brought charges of pregnancy discrimination against her employer. She was not able to show that she was being treated differently than other employees in similar circumstances and lost the case. ("How Employers Must Treat Pregnant Workers," Smartbiz.com).
Since 1993, The Family and Medical Leave Act (U.S.), has given pregnant women who are employed in workplaces with 50 or more people the right to take a combination of paid and unpaid leave equaling twelve weeks to care for a newborn. The act also gives employees the right to take time off for medical problems (including those that are pregnancy related) and to care for an ill family member.
