Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) hosted a discussion on the importance of protecting women’s privacy at work on Aug. 18, as many continue to face employment discrimination when they become pregnant or try to conceive a child.

The discussion at Planned Parenthood in Seattle included a Kirkland mother, Ava Anderson, and Kirkland resident and Executive Director of MomsRising Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner.

Anderson spoke about the challenges and pressures she felt while working during her pregnancy and right after having her son Asher. Anderson recently decided to leave her job at a private school to stay home and take care of her son as it was no longer financially feasible to work.

Other attendees included the CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands Chris Charbonneau, Legal and Legislative Counsel at Legal Voice Janet Chung and expectant mother Allison Moroni.

Last month, DelBene introduced the Birth Control Privacy Act to ensure women’s personal medical decisions about contraception are not disclosed to their employers. The bill would close a loophole that puts women at risk if they participate in workplace wellness programs.

If bosses can identify when a woman decides to stop using contraception, that can mean lost jobs, missed opportunities for advancement and diminished financial stability. DelBene’s bill is a response to reports that some wellness program are mining workers’ health data and scanning their medical claims to predict who might become pregnant.