One day last summer, Clarisa Lugo was working on a large farm in Illinois when she began to vomit and struggle to breathe. She experienced a racing heart, stopped sweating, and had a severe headache that lasted for hours. At the time, the heat index reached 105 F (40.56 C), and Lugo, who was eight months pregnant, was experiencing symptoms of heat illness.
“I remember that that day it was hard for me to go back to normal” despite drinking water and putting ice on her body, Lugo said.
Agricultural workers are among those most exposed to extreme heat, with pregnant workers facing increased risks as climate change causes temperatures to rise. Many U.S. farmworkers are low-income Latino immigrants who work outside or in hot indoor environments throughout the year. Experts point out that while some protections exist for these workers, enforcement is lacking and more safeguards are needed.
The Trump administration’s immigration policies have added another layer of difficulty. According to research and interviews with advocates and healthcare providers, many immigrant workers now avoid seeking medical care or advocating for safer workplaces due to fears of retribution.
Four agricultural workers shared their experiences of working through pregnancy in extreme heat with The Associated Press; three chose not to disclose their names because they lack legal status or fear employer retaliation.
In states like California—where more than 893,000 people worked in agriculture in 2023—and Iowa—where over 385,000 jobs are tied to the industry—temperatures have steadily risen since the start of the 20th century. California has warmed by almost 3 F (1.67 C), with seven of its eight warmest years occurring between 2017 and 2024. Iowa has warmed by more than 1 F (0.56 C), while Florida’s average temperature rose by over 2 F (1.11 C).
Research shows even small increases in temperature can affect health outcomes for outdoor workers. Agricultural laborers face more than 35 times the risk of dying from heat-related illnesses compared to other professions—a figure likely underestimated due to underreporting.
Lugo’s child was born healthy, but not all stories end well.
A nursery worker in Florida recounted losing her pregnancy after strenuous work in intense heat: “(At the hospital) they told me that I had already lost the baby,” she said.
Another Florida nursery worker described vomiting and headaches during her pregnancy in part due to high temperatures; her child was born two months premature: “(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 explained.
Pregnancy makes it harder for bodies to regulate temperature under stress from physical labor or high temperatures—raising risks such as dehydration, miscarriage, preterm birth, low birth weight or even death from conditions like heat stroke.
Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez died at age 17 while pregnant after pruning grapes without access to shade or water during near triple-digit temperatures in California; her death led lawmakers there to strengthen outdoor worker protections beginning in 2005.
Currently there is no federal rule protecting U.S. workers from occupational heat exposure; however, some states such as California and Washington have set their own standards while others—including Texas and Florida—have limited local governments’ ability to pass similar rules. Advocates say existing regulations are inconsistently enforced.
Over thirty states require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees under various laws including the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act passed federally in 2023—which bars discrimination against pregnant individuals unless accommodations cause “undue hardship” for employers—but experts question how effectively these measures protect women farmworkers specifically.
Ayana DeGaia of the University of Washington noted: “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.”
Alexis Handal at University of Michigan echoed concerns about whether current legal frameworks benefit women doing agricultural work.
Meanwhile, female-dominated nursery industries like those found across Florida have organized campaigns demanding stronger workplace protections against extreme weather events; California-based advocates seek compensation guarantees when wages are lost due to unsafe conditions caused by heat waves.
Fears surrounding immigration enforcement continue complicating access to care:
Dr. Katherine Gabriel-Cox described a patient unable to get specialty prenatal services primarily because she feared detention: “I hear similar stories ‘over and over,’” Gabriel-Cox stated.
Nationally physicians report fewer walk-ins among immigrants seeking maternity care; delays often mean first appointments happen only when patients go into labor according to Physicians for Human Rights research published this April.
Katherine Peeler from Harvard Medical School expressed concern: “I’d be concerned that people are not going to present for medical care until it’s too late.”
Barriers also include transportation challenges common among rural communities as well as lack of paid leave or employer-sponsored insurance benefits typical within this workforce segment.
Juan Declet-Barreto from Union of Concerned Scientists highlighted how job insecurity prevents many farmworkers from requesting basic protections like shade breaks or adequate hydration during dangerous weather events.
Others interviewed described inadequate bathroom facilities on worksites—a challenge made worse by pregnancy—or additional burdens such as wearing extra layers out of fear following sexual harassment incidents reported within agricultural settings.
At home many farmworkers cannot escape rising temperatures due either directly or indirectly linked poverty factors according multiple studies cited by advocacy organizations.
With longer hotter summers predicted due largely human-driven climate change trends experts warn without stronger regulation enforcement both mothers-to-be unborn children will remain at risk:
“We can’t prevent temperatures from rising,” said Yunuen Ibarra with Líderes Campesinas advocacy group,“but we can prevent farmworkers from dying or feeling sick or being disabled due to heat-related illnesses.”
