The Boston City Council will take a look at expanding handicapped parking access to women entering the late stage of their pregnancy, on the premise that their condition is debilitating enough at that point to qualify for the exemption.
Councilor John FitzGerald, a father of three who introduced the hearing order Wednesday on a recommendation from his wife, said he was seeking a change that would make city-issued handicapped parking placards available to pregnant women in their third trimester, and up to six months after they have given birth.
FitzGerald said his wife’s first pregnancy came with “severely debilitating effects, especially in the third trimester and in the recovery phase post-birth.” Her mobility and general strength was limited, leading to safety concerns around accidental falls when having to walk farther, and she dealt with high blood pressure, he said.
“I remember the day when my wife, well into her pregnancy, said at the time in probably slightly more colorful language that she should be able to park in handicapped spots, given her condition,” FitzGerald said.
The mobility limitations become more pronounced in a woman’s second or third pregnancy, he said, when they’re juggling with their condition while trying to remove their other young children from the car to enter a store.
“Now I find myself in a position to be able to advocate for the idea,” FitzGerald, who joined the Council in January, said in a separate interview with the Herald.
He noted that certain stores in Boston, such as Target, Walmart and Buy Buy Baby, already have a few parking spaces set aside for expecting mothers and parents with small children, but is pushing for that option to become available citywide.
FitzGerald anticipates that the pros and cons of opening up handicapped parking to pregnant women, described in the order as “pregnant people,” along with how such an expansion would work will be discussed at an upcoming committee hearing.
He was unsure if such an expansion would result in a shortage of handicapped spaces for permanently disabled people, or if it would require the city to add more parking spaces.
The city’s press office did not respond to a request for comment about how many handicapped parking placards have been issued and how many are available.
His order makes the case for closer parking for pregnant women, in pointing to the mobility issues, medical conditions, safety concerns and emergency situations that can arise in their third trimester.
It also points to two other states, Illinois and Texas, that have a parking policy that explicitly includes pregnant women. Dubbed Henry’s Law in Illinois, that particular policy allows women in their third trimester to use a disability placard for 90 days.
The order further states that if a physician certifies a pregnant woman as having a walking disability, she may already qualify for a temporary disability placard under both state and federal law, regardless of whether the city adopts the change.
The hearing order, co-sponsored by two other councilors described as “young fathers,” Enrique Pepén and Brian Worrell, was referred to the Strong Women, Families and Communities committee for further discussion.