By Bryce Covert
If Republican Gov. Henry McMaster signs the Pregnancy Accommodations Act into law, South Carolina will become the 24th state to require employers offer reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers. Other Southern or deep red states with such a policy on the books include Alaska, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. “In red states, or blue states for that matter, these bills pass unanimously or near unanimously because this issue doesn’t know party lines,” Gedmark said.
South Carolina is not a leader in women’s equality. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research ranked it number 42 for women’s health and number 41 for economic opportunity. “There are so many things that it’s easy to get frustrated and negative about that are happening in our state,” Crawford said. But this legislation offered a welcome reprieve.