Agency: Bars can't ban pregnant women or refuse them drinks

NEW YORK (AP) — Pregnant women can’t be kept out of New York City bars or refused alcoholic drinks just because they’re expecting, under new city guidelines.

The city Human Rights Commission guidelines outline a variety of anti-discrimination measures and expound on a 2013 law that mostly concerns protections for pregnant workers.

But the guidance also warns against bouncers refusing to let mothers-to-be into bars or restaurants refusing to serve them alcohol, which the U.S. Surgeon General and major medical associations say women should avoid during pregnancy.

How to treat women who use intoxicants of various sorts has long been debated in the U.S. Some states have laws allowing authorities to detain or bring criminal charges against women who use illegal drugs while pregnant.

Overall, the guidelines mostly address pregnant women’s rights in the workplace.

Under federal law, employers must treat pregnant workers the same as any other temporarily disabled worker when it comes to allowing light duty and other accommodations. New York City’s 2013 law goes further.

It requires all but very small employers to accommodate reasonable pregnancy-related requests — such as minor work schedule changes, providing a chair or letting workers eat at their desks — even if other employees can’t do the same without a doctor’s note saying they need it.