ACLU Supporter –

My name is Michelle Durham. When I was 22, I got my dream job as an EMT, my first role after becoming licensed as an EMT. It was my calling – I loved being able to help people when they needed it the most. I felt like my career was about to take off.

Soon after, I had another reason to celebrate: I became pregnant.

But this happy surprise was quickly replaced by anxiety, fear, and sadness. My employer refused to let me continue working during my pregnancy. I got sent home without pay, right when I needed a paycheck the most.

ACLU Supporter, I'm writing to you because there's a way we can fight back: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers – so no one endures what I did.

Join me in this fight and tell your representative to support the PWFA.

At one of my first prenatal appointments, my doctor told me I couldn't lift more than 50 pounds, a normal weight restriction for people who are pregnant. The stretchers I lifted at work weighed 100 pounds alone, but I didn't think requesting an alternative work assignment would be a problem. There were plenty of open desk jobs.

Then HR told me that those assignments were reserved only for people who'd been injured on the job. I was shocked: The health precautions concerning my pregnancy apparently didn't qualify for an alternative, safer work assignment. My only option? Take unpaid leave for the next 12 weeks of my pregnancy. And I, like so many others, just couldn't afford that.

My story isn't unique. Too many employers are not providing on-the-job accommodations for pregnant workers. That's why we need the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act – so no one is forced to make the impossible decision between a safe pregnancy and keeping their job.

We're building momentum – thanks to activists like you, 26 more representatives signed on to cosponsor the PWFA in the last week. And just yesterday, the bill was approved by the Education and Labor Committee with a bipartisan vote.

Let's keep it up so the PWFA has the support it needs to pass: Send a message to your representative now.

Thanks for joining me in this fight,

Michelle Durham
Mother and activist