Defining the Protected Class: Who Qualifies for Protection under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act?

W]hat makes pregnancy a disability rather than, say, an additional ability, is the structure of work, not reproduction.'PDA's scope.Many of these disagreements have centered on what types of employer actions constitute "discrimination" and whether the PDA entitles a woman to accommodation or simply protection from discrimination.This Comment focuses instead on a prior question: who is sufficiently "affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions" ' to qualify for the PDA's protection?This preliminary decision is a crucial, yet underexplored, component of the discussion about the PDA's scope.1.