Hoosier Action members and leaders in coalition with Indiana Institute for Working Families and other groups have been fighting since early 2019 to pass the Pregnancy and Childbirth Discrimination bill, legislation to protect pregnant workers and new mothers from dangerous working conditions. During the 2019 legislative session, the bill failed to make it out of committee. 

Today, Governor Holcomb joined Hoosier Action members in the fight when he announced his support for legislation in 2020 which would provide workplace pregnancy accommodation. This bill will create basic protections helping to ensure that Hoosiers have healthy pregnancies. It is a long-needed first step toward addressing Indiana’s infant and maternal mortality crisis. Providing pregnant workers and new mothers with accommodations on the job should be an easy yes for everyone who cares about creating a future where every Hooiser has a chance to thrive. 

“If we had a law like this I would not have lost my child,” explains Twanni McClellan, a Hoosier Action leader from New Albany. McClellan had a miscarriage after her boss at a restaurant failed to accomodate her at work, even after she brought in a doctor’s note. “This is why I’m organizing now. No mother should have to go through what I went through. No mother should have to chose between putting food on the table or having a miscarriage.”

“During the 2020 legislative session Hoosier Action is mobilizing moms from across the state to take action and ensure that Indiana begins to protect Hoosier mothers  and babies,” explains Hoosier Action Director Kate Hess Pace. “Following the session Hoosier Action will talk to 200,000 voters and knock on 25,000 doors to discuss improving the health of small town and rural Hoosiers.”