PITTSBURGH, PA (September 14, 2021) — Pittsburgh City Council passed into law Councilman Bobby Wilson’s legislation to establish fully paid bereavement leave for every non-union City of Pittsburgh employee who experiences pregnancy loss.
The passage of this legislation makes the City of Pittsburgh the first government in the United States of America to offer such paid leave. Other jurisdictions, including the City of Boston, are currently entertaining similar legislation.
“I want to thank the Chair of Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission, Amanda Neatrour, and the Vice Chair of the Commission, Morgan Overton, for their eloquent and passionate support of my bill at Council,” said Councilman Wilson. “I’m also very appreciative of the deeply informed testimony of Heather Bradley, Executive Director of Pittsburgh Bereavement Doulas, and Dr. Grace Ferguson in support of this legislation. Finally, I’m thankful to my colleagues Councilperson Erika Strassburger and Councilman Reverend Ricky Burgess for their support and co-sponsorship of this precedent-setting legislation.”
This legislation recognizes that pregnancy loss generally occurs in the form of miscarriage, stillbirth, or termination. Pregnancy loss can also occur in the form of failed in vitro fertilization procedures or surrogacy loss. Miscarriages are especially common, occurring in about 1 out of every 5 pregnancies. In Pittsburgh, per the Gender Equity Commission’s 2019 report “Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race,” pregnancy loss is twice as likely among Pittsburgh’s Black women compared to its White women. Additionally, per the same report, the rate of pregnancy loss for both Black and White women in Pittsburgh is over 90 percent higher than the rate of pregnancy loss for Black and White women in similar American cities.
“I look forward to the progress of the Support Through Loss Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate,” Councilman Wilson added. “This federal legislation would further equip us to meet pregnancy loss with compassion and support, instead of abandoning working families to struggle in silence and stigma. Until then, I am proud that the City of Pittsburgh is a national leader on this issue, and I look forward to expanding the scope of this leave in the months to come. I am calling on fellow large employers in our city, especially non-profits, foundations, and governmental authorities, to join the City of Pittsburgh in offering similar leave.”
For press inquiries, please contact Councilman Wilson’s Legislative Aide, Mohammed Burny, at (412) 215-0528 or mohammed.burny@pittsburghpa.gov.
