Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on her efforts to prevent discrimination against workers who are pregnant.

With ninety-eight of her colleagues in the House of Representatives and twenty-four members of the Senate, Congresswoman Clarke has asked the United States Supreme Court to uphold the right of Peggy Young to a reasonable employment  accommodation as a result of her pregnancy.  Ms. Young was a pregnant United Parcel Service employee whose doctor recommended that she not carry heavy boxes during her pregnancy.  Ms. Young requested a temporary light duty assignment on her doctor’s advice, but UPS denied Ms. Young’s request. She subsequently filed a lawsuit against UPS, in which the Supreme Court will hear oral argument on December 3, 2014.

“Many companies in the United States still refuse to allow even basic modifications that would allow pregnant women to work, as required by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The denial of these modifications functions as another form of sex discrimination, because most women will at some point in their lives work while pregnant or soon after having a child,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “For the health of workers and their families, we must have reasonable accommodations that allow pregnant women to remain on the job, safely.”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.