On a sweltering day in the heart of Illinois farm country, Clarisa Lugo, eight months pregnant, found herself doubled over in a 300-acre field. She was inspecting corn and soybean plants when the heat index soared to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Suddenly, she began vomiting, her heart pounded, and she stopped sweating—classic signs of heat illness. Despite pouring water over herself and using ice, Lugo struggled for hours to recover. "I remember that that day it was hard for me to go back to normal," she told the Associated Press, her voice still tinged with concern months later.
Lugo’s ordeal is far from unique. Across the United States, pregnant agricultural workers—many of them low-income Latino immigrants—are facing mounting dangers as climate change pushes temperatures ever higher. According to the Associated Press, these women already work some of the most physically demanding and least protected jobs in the country. When pregnancy enters the mix, the risks multiply: the body must work harder to cool itself, making dehydration and heat-related illnesses far more likely.
The numbers paint a stark picture. Since the start of the 20th century, California, one of the nation’s agricultural powerhouses, has seen average temperatures rise nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Seven of the last eight years through 2024 have been the warmest on record, according to state and federal data. Florida, another major agriculture state, has warmed by more than 2 degrees, while Iowa has seen a rise of over 1 degree. Even small increases in temperature can have outsized effects on the human body, particularly for those laboring outdoors.
Research cited by the Associated Press found that agricultural workers in the U.S. face more than 35 times the risk of dying from heat-related causes compared to workers in other sectors. With women now making up about one-third of the farm workforce—a share that continues to grow—the issue of heat exposure during pregnancy is becoming impossible to ignore.
Heat exposure in pregnancy isn’t just uncomfortable; it’s dangerous. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that even short-term exposure to high heat can increase the risk of severe maternal health complications, including high blood pressure disorders. More alarmingly, studies have linked extreme heat to miscarriages, stillbirths, preterm births, low birth weight, and birth defects. The combination of strenuous physical labor and soaring temperatures can quickly overwhelm the body’s cooling system, leading to dehydration, heat stroke, or worse.
The stories behind these statistics are harrowing. One Florida nursery worker, four months pregnant, spent her days hefting heavy pots and bending over dense rows of monsteras and other tropical plants. One day, after hours in the heat, she experienced severe abdominal cramps and bleeding. At the hospital, she learned she had lost her baby. "(At the hospital) they told me that I had already lost the baby," she recounted to the Associated Press, convinced that the heat and physical strain were to blame.
Another Florida nursery worker, who worked up to her fourth month of pregnancy in 2024, described frequent vomiting—even after drinking water—and persistent headaches. Her baby was born prematurely at seven months. "(The doctor) told me that I spent too much time bent over ... and I wasn’t eating well for the same reason, because of the heat," she said.
Tragically, these cases are not isolated. In 2008, Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, a 17-year-old who was two months pregnant, collapsed and died from heatstroke while pruning grapes in California. She had been denied shade and water by her supervisors, according to authorities. Her death led to the strengthening of California’s outdoor heat standard, which was later named in her honor.
Despite these dangers, protections for pregnant farmworkers remain patchy and often poorly enforced. There are currently no federal heat protections for workers, although the Associated Press reports that a proposed rule is in the works. Some states, such as California and Washington, have their own regulations, but others—including Texas and Florida—have barred local governments from enacting their own rules. Even where protections exist, advocates say enforcement is weak, and workers often distrust reporting systems or fear retaliation.
More than 30 states and cities have laws requiring employers to provide accommodations for pregnant workers. The 2023 federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires "reasonable accommodations" for those who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or have related medical conditions—unless doing so would cause the employer "undue hardship." Discrimination or firing due to pregnancy is also illegal. Still, experts like Ayana DeGaia, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington in Harborview, argue that these protections are not enough. "It’s probably one of the reasons why we have some of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality in high-income countries in the world," she told the Associated Press.
For many pregnant farmworkers, the risks are compounded by limited access to healthcare. Clinics are often far from rural communities, and missing work to seek care can mean lost wages or, worse, the threat of job loss. Many lack employer-sponsored health insurance or paid leave. The Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has only deepened these challenges. Research by Physicians for Human Rights and interviews with advocates reveal that many pregnant workers now avoid medical care out of fear—of being fired, or of encountering immigration enforcement. Health care providers report seeing fewer walk-ins, more delayed prenatal care, and an uptick in patients whose first visit is for labor and delivery. "I’d be concerned that people are not going to present for medical care until it’s too late," said Dr. Katherine Peeler, medical adviser with Physicians for Human Rights.
At work, farmworkers are often reluctant to ask for shade, water, or rest breaks, worried about losing their jobs or drawing unwanted attention. Juan Declet-Barreto, a senior social scientist for climate vulnerability with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the Associated Press that some employers refuse to provide even basic accommodations. Others deny access to clean bathrooms, or restrict restroom breaks for pregnant women. Home life offers little respite: many farmworkers live in hot, poorly ventilated housing without air conditioning, making it difficult to recover from the day’s heat.
Some women face even more complex risks. According to Yunuen Ibarra of Líderes Campesinas, a farmworker advocacy group, women who have experienced sexual assault on the job may wear extra layers of clothing to avoid feeling exposed—raising their body temperatures even further.
Despite these daunting challenges, farmworkers are fighting back. In Florida, women in the nursery industry are organizing for heat protections. In California, workers are demanding compensation for lost wages during heat waves and extra pay for working in dangerous conditions. As climate change continues to drive up temperatures, their struggle is likely to intensify.
"We can’t prevent temperatures from rising," Ibarra said, "but we can prevent farmworkers from dying or feeling sick or being disabled due to heat-related illnesses." As the nation’s farms brace for another hot season, the fate of pregnant agricultural workers—and their unborn children—hangs in the balance.
