The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been in the making for eight long years. After many bitter debates between Republicans and Democrats, Congress passed the law on February 4, 1993. President Clinton signed the law the next day. The law took effect on August 5, 1993. The law required employers with fifty or more employees within a seventy-five mile radius to offer eligible employees up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave during a twelve-month period for a series of medical reasons. Some of the general medical reasons are, for birth or adoption, caring for a seriously ill parent, spouse or child, or undergoing medical treatment for your own illness. The law included provisions on employer coverage; eligibility of employees for legal benefits; right to holidays, maintenance of healthcare benefits during leave and return to work after leave; notice and certification of the need for FMLA leave; and protections for employees requesting or taking FMLA leave. (1) The law also requires employers to maintain certain records. It was estimated that the law would affect 5 percent of American employers and 40 percent of all employees. This document will show the ethical perspective on how employers handle FMLA. Furthermore, this document will show the progress the FMLA has made in five years, becoming more ethically sound. Many employers have been left baffled as they attempt to resolve overlapping obligations created when a sick or injured worker's medical condition triggers different rights and responsibilities. according to the new federal laws. If companies want to avoid costly lawsuits from disgruntled employees, it is essential to understand their responsibilities under the laws. Employers must draft a document… halfway… ensuring that all eligible employees are covered by the Family Medical Leave Act and that their unalienable rights are not violated. The law ensures that an employee will not be unduly terminated due to a medical condition of themselves or an immediate family member and that their job will be guaranteed for the period of leave. The long wait for the Family Medical Leave Act was not wasted. Since the law came into force, millions of people have benefited from the twelve weeks approved by the Government. The number of employers and employees affected by the Family Medical Leave Act has gone well beyond expected numbers, thus demonstrating the growing need for protection due to a “serious health condition” of an employee or their family. The numbers are only expected to increase over the next five years due to the number of workers who will eventually have to take leave under the law.