The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued a Committee Statement today on the central role ob-gyns play in supporting workers seeking accommodations under the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The Committee Statement gives guidance on workplace safety during pregnancy and tips for writing effective medical documentation in support of pregnant and postpartum patients seeking workplace accommodations. For over a decade, WorkLife Law has led efforts to ensure ob-gyns and other healthcare providers have the information and tools they need to support pregnant workers.
In many cases, workers seeking pregnancy and postpartum accommodations can only access them with their healthcare provider’s support—making ob-gyns essential to pregnant workers’ safety. Because ACOG sets the standards of practice for obstetrician-gynecologists nationwide, this guidance, issued by ACOG’s Committee on Clinical Consensus-Obstetrics, will shape how tens of thousands of prenatal care providers support their patients with workplace accommodations and leave.
Next month, ACOG will release a new webpage with resources to further help providers understand their role and take action to write effective work notes for patients. The webpage will recommend WorkLife Law’s healthcare provider tools and free legal helpline for workers.
“ACOG’s leadership on this issue sends a powerful message: pregnant and postpartum patients’ workplace safety is an important health issue, and providers play a central role in supporting workplace accommodations,” said WorkLife Law Co-Director Liz Morris, who co-authored the new Committee Statement. “This new guidance will help ob-gyns write work notes that keep patients healthy, safe, and financially secure through pregnancy and beyond.”
“ACOG’s Committee Statement highlights the important role ob-gyns play in assisting patients access needed workplace accommodations as well as helping them recognize that they may have a legal right to those accommodations,” said ACOG President Camille A. Clare, MD, MPH, CPE, FACOG. “We have the opportunity to not only be physicians in these cases but advocates, and this guidance provides ob-gyns with the knowledge to help patients take the necessary steps to protect themselves and their pregnancies.”
WorkLife Law will continue its longstanding work training ob-gyns and other prenatal care providers on supporting patients with workplace issues. Now, more pregnant workers will get the accommodations they need to stay healthy and safe while continuing to earn an income, thanks to ACOG’s new guidance co-developed by WorkLife Law.