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Statement

Moms Leader Warns Trump's Travel Ban Against Women of Child-Bearing Age Is 'Policy by Tantrum' that 'Invades the Privacy and Assaults the Dignity of Women Seeking to Enter the United States'

January 27, 2020
Immigration

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement from Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the new Trump administration rule that could ban women from visiting the United States just because they are pregnant or could become pregnant:

“Pregnant women already face an unconscionable level of discrimination in the United States. They disproportionately experience discrimination at work and mistreatment in our health care system. That discrimination includes: not being hired or promoted because you're visibly pregnant or of typical childbearing age; pay discrimination; being fired after informing your boss that you’re pregnant; being fired after taking parental leave, which most often is unpaid; having your pay or hours docked due to pregnancy/maternal status; and suffering harmful, dangerous bias in access to health care and treatment.

“The Trump administration’s new rule, which is being implemented without a comment period, would codify pregnancy discrimination by turning our government into reproductive police who invade the privacy and assault the dignity of women seeking to enter the United States. As mothers, we cannot and will not stand by while President Trump issues a rule that constitutes an attack on pregnant women, women of color, and all women seeking to enter the United States.

“The new rule is yet another example of President Trump unpredictably creating policy by tantrum and merely for political reasons – policies that would have a devastating impact on real people. It’s nothing short of outrageous. Making decisions about who can enter the United States based on whether they look pregnant is unacceptable. Forcing women to prove, in public, that they are not pregnant is a clear violation of basic rights.

“’The Handmaid’s Tale’ was intended as a cautionary tale and many people once thought it was over-the-top. Now it seems to be coming true. Our focus must be on eradicating the discrimination that plagues moms, women of color, and immigrant women – not increasing it. This rule must go.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.