Federally Funded Maternity Leave

Economy
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1

If we truly want to be a pro-life country, then we need to support women and families after birth as well as during pregnancy. In my 5 years working at a pregnancy resource center I have encountered many women considering abortion due to financial reasons. Many are single mothers trying to figure out how to manage the postpartum period financially. I am proposing that women be eligible for maternity leave pay for a minimum of 12 weeks post delivery with additional benefits available for high risk pregnancies involving hospitalization or bed rest. Diagnosed Postpartum Depression or loss of a child would qualify for additional time off with pay. This benefit would require that the women be employed throughout their pregnancy and would be equal to their current salary. The benefit would not be available to those that already receive paid maternity leave at their place of employment. This could be funded by an advancement of the mothers social security benefits or the government could cut back on the amount of money they send elsewhere in the world so that we could properly take care of our own citizens.