Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1065, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

The policy choices we make here in Congress about labor should be made to support the family and our freedoms. This is because work, family, and freedom support and need each other. If one of these aspects is weakened, the whole chain is weakened as well.

The Federal Government is, once again, overreaching into our freedoms as Americans with this Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Passing the PWFA means that a small business or religious organization could be forced to provide paid time off for an employee to have an abortion or other concerning procedures.

Instead of working to improve our systems to support families and the workplace, the Democrats are going after our First Amendment freedom of religion. Religious freedom is a bedrock principle of this country, and we must protect the ability of all Americans to act in accordance with their conscience. The Federal Government must never infringe on this sacred right.

Religious organizations should be allowed to make religiously based employment decisions, and States should be the leaders in this, not the Federal Government.

We have laws currently in place to protect discrimination in the workplace. The PWFA does not protect religious employers with the same protections contained in the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For these reasons and more, I oppose the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

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