Washington, DC – On April 21, 2015, Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) offered an amendment to protect residents of the District of Columbia from facing retribution from their employer for using infertility treatments. The proposed amendment is to _H.J. Res 43, a joint resolution disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in adopting the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014. The Washington, D.C. law makes it illegal to fire an employee based on their reproductive health choices. If _H.J. Res 43_ becomes law, it would overturn Washington D.C.’s locally passed non-discrimination law.
“As someone who recently experienced the joy of becoming a mother for the first time, I find it particularly heartbreaking to know that women in our country have been fired because their employer found out they were using in vitro fertilization,” said Duckworth. “Those seeking to start a family should not have to choose between getting the fertility treatments they need and keeping their jobs.”
Congresswoman Duckworth proposed the amendment before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. You can watch the video here.