A preg­nant employ­ee in West Vir­ginia is pro­tect­ed under fed­er­al and state laws that pro­vide work­place rights, pro­hib­it dis­crim­i­na­tion, and require rea­son­able accom­mo­da­tions, par­tic­u­lar­ly for med­ical com­pli­ca­tions relat­ed to preg­nan­cy. Below is an overview of the key legal pro­tec­tions and employ­er obligations.

Federal Legal Protections for Pregnant Employees

1. Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) – 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(k)

The Preg­nan­cy Dis­crim­i­na­tion Act (PDA) is an amend­ment to Title VII of the Civ­il Rights Act of 1964 and pro­hibits dis­crim­i­na­tion based on preg­nan­cy, child­birth, or relat­ed med­ical con­di­tions. Under the PDA:

• Employ­ers can­not fire, refuse to hire, demote, or oth­er­wise dis­crim­i­nate against a woman because of pregnancy.
• Preg­nant employ­ees must be treat­ed the same as oth­er employ­ees who are sim­i­lar in their abil­i­ty or inabil­i­ty to work.
• If an employ­er pro­vides accom­mo­da­tions for tem­porar­i­ly dis­abled employ­ees, it must pro­vide sim­i­lar accom­mo­da­tions for preg­nant employ­ees with work restrictions.

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