Pregnancy Workplace Protections Face Narrower Rules
Pregnant and postpartum workers covered by the PWFA should track the EEOC's proposed revisions to their accommodation rights.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Pregnancy
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The Trump administration is preparing to scale back protections under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a federal law that took effect June 27, 2023. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is considering revisions that would affect accommodations that workers can request.
Why it matters
Current EEOC regulations extend accommodations to conditions including miscarriage, postpartum depression, lactation, abortion, fertility treatments, endometriosis and menstruation, so narrower rules would change what expecting and new parents can ask employers for. The proposed changes come as abortion is banned or restricted in 13 states, a context in which reproductive-health accommodations are contested.
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act was passed by Congress in 2022 and took effect June 27, 2023, with the EEOC issuing final regulations in April 2024. A 2025 University of Wisconsin-Madison study tied the law to a 3.2% increase in births in newly covered states.
The players
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
The federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination law and wrote the PWFA regulations that workers rely on for accommodation requests.
Trump administration
The current federal executive branch, which is preparing the proposed PWFA revisions through the EEOC's regulatory process.
The details
The EEOC is weighing a revision to how it reads the phrase 'pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions,' which determines which workplace accommodations the law covers. The administration is also considering expanding religious exemptions that would let employers deny certain reproductive health accommodations. Under the current framework, a worker who needs an accommodation for a covered condition can ask her employer for changes such as modified duties or schedule adjustments.
Timeline
June 27, 2023: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act took effect.
April 2024: The EEOC issued final PWFA regulations.
November 2026: The proposed rule is anticipated to be published.
January 2027: The public comment period is expected to end.
The Home Front
The PWFA is a federal workplace rule, so its scope shapes how families manage income and job security during pregnancy and after childbirth. The proposed revisions would change that framework two years after the EEOC's April 2024 regulations took effect.
If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, review your employer's accommodation policy now and note any requests you may need, such as modified duties or schedule changes. Keep written records of any accommodation request and your employer's response, since documentation will matter if you need to raise a question later.
The takeaway
Protections that cover a pregnancy-related condition can change with a regulatory rewrite, so the rules in place when you ask for an accommodation matter. Save a copy of any accommodation request and keep it with your household records, since the proposed EEOC rule is not expected to be finalized until after a public comment period in early 2027.
What happens next
The EEOC's proposed rule is anticipated in November 2026, with a public comment period expected to end in January 2027.
Further reading
For more on the policies shaping pregnancy and early parenthood, see Pregnancy coverage in United States.
Source note: This article includes information reported by People.
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