Congress warms to idea of expanding accommodations to pregnant workers.

For the past few years, a politically divided Congress had little appetite for more federal regulation of private employers. But that could be about to change. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act is gaining support from Democrats and Republicans alike.

The legislation builds on bipartisan agreement that pregnant working women should not have to choose between their jobs and bearing a child.

The PWFA expands on protections in the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which prohibits firing or refusing to hire a woman because she is, has been or might become pregnant. However, the PDA does not require employers to accommodate temporary disabilities arising out of pregnancy.

In 2015, a U.S. Supreme Court case said that under limited circumstances, temporary pregnancy-related disabilities had to be accommodated if an employer made similar accommodations for temporary disabilities not associated with pregnancy. (Young v. UPS) But that case didn't address common pregnancy issues, such as the need...