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Article: Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978)
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Pregnancy Discrimination Act (1978)
Ruth Colker
I
n 1978 Congress amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to enact the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) (P.L. 95-555, 92 Stat. 2076). This act was passed to reverse the Supreme Court's decision in
General Electric Company v. Gilbert
(1976) in which the Supreme Court held that Title VII's prohibition against "sex" discrimination does not include a ban on pregnancy-based discrimination. Title VII generally bans sex discrimination in
employment. By amending Title VII, Congress extended that prohibition to include pregnancy-based discrimination. In
Gilbert,
the Supreme Court held that General Electric's disability plan did ...