LIEB BLOG

Legal Analysts

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

NYC Outlaws Discrimination on the Basis of an Employee's "Sexual and Reproductive Health Decisions"

New York City has added yet another protected class to its human rights law. Effective May 20, 2019, NYC will prohibit employment discrimination based on an employee's "sexual and reproductive health decisions" which is defined as "any decision by an individual to receive services ... relating to sexual and reproductive health." Such services include but are not limited to:
  1. Fertility-related medical procedures
  2. Sexually transmitted disease prevention, testing and treatment
  3. Family planning and counseling, i.e. birth control drugs, emergency contraception, sterilization procedures, pregnancy testing and abortion.
The text of the new law can be found here. All NYC employers should review and revise their internal policies prior to May 20, 2019 to limit exposure under this new law.