On October 1, 2013 most Maryland employers will be required to make certain accommodations for pregnant women who have a temporary disability stemming from their pregnancy. The law applies to Maryland employers that have fifteen or more employees. This year, Governor O’Malley passed the Reasonable Accommodations for Disabilities Due to Pregnancy Act. The law means what it says. The law will require employers to provide “reasonable” accommodations to pregnant women who request accommodations on account of some sort of temporary disability that stems from their pregnancy. The accommodations require that your employer consider 1) providing you with leave, 2) temporarily changing your job duties, 3) changing your work hours or work area, 4) providing mechanical or electrical aids, and/or 5) transferring you to a less strenuous or hazardous position. Of course, employers will not be required to make accommodations that require them to create additional employment, remove others from their jobs, or create some sort of undue hardship. Aside from these requirements in how to treat a pregnant woman with a disability, what is significant here is the mandate to employers that they respect and listen to the needs of their pregnant, female employees. The law is a fantastic recognition that women, who may or may not become pregnant, are valuable workers whose temporary difficulties experienced while pregnant should be attended to, not ignored. The National Women’s Law Center describes the law as “a step toward women’s equality and we applaud Maryland for making the world a more secure place for pregnant women”.
