This law is a lifeline for pregnant workers even as an abortion dispute complicates its enforcement

A new law strengthening protections for pregnant workers has been a lifeline to many low-wage women seeking accommodations from employers who might otherwise have forced them into unpaid leave. But a year after the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act took effect, many women are still confronting employers who don't know about the law, misunderstand its scope or simply refuse to comply, according to the legal organization A Better Balance, which spearheaded the campaign for the news law. A legal battle over whether the law covers abortion, meanwhile, is complicating its enforcement just as protections are starting to make a difference.