Pregnancy Discrimination Act
An amendment to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed in 1978 to prohibit discrimination against employees based on pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy related medical conditions. The Act amended 42 U.S.C. § 2000e to add: “the terms ‘because of sex’ or ‘on the basis of sex’ include, but are not limited to, because of or on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. . .” However, employers are not required “to pay for health insurance benefits for abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered. . .”
[Last reviewed in April of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
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