Why Texas pro-life Republicans should support paid family leave

Pro-life Republicans in Texas have passed a law making abortions illegal after six weeks of gestation. Regardless of your opinion on this law, there is one more way to protect all newborn babies and their families in the first few days after they are born, and one that has widespread support.

An infant is born with no resources other than its parents. She has no savings. She cannot take care of herself or feed herself. Their own central nervous system cannot even regulate itself outside of close physical contact with their parents.

However, America is the only country in the developed world that does not protect the first few weeks and months of a newborn’s life by ensuring that all parents, regardless of income or occupation, are able to find healing, bonding, and development during this critical time.

We do not have a national policy for paid family leave. Companies also do not offer paid time off after childbirth; According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fewer than one in five workers are entitled to paid family leave from their employer.

While some workers combine vacation days and sick days to cover time, according to a survey by Abt Associate, 40% of workers and 80% of low-wage workers do not get paid leave when a child is born.

According to the Ministry of Labor, 40 percent of all employees do not even have job protection after the birth of a child under the Family and Sick Leave Act, so that an event that is already physically, mentally and financially stressful can also be accompanied by a job loss.

As a result, almost one in four women goes back to work within two weeks of giving birth, according to a survey by the Department of Labor. Unsurprisingly, this is associated with a number of drawbacks, including reduced breastfeeding rates, one of the highest newborn death rates in the developed world, maternal depression, and more.

Some states have taken steps to change this by adopting their own policies on paid family leave over the past decade. Congress is also debating a policy of paid vacation that could be used for paid parental leave, embedded in its $ 3.5 trillion reconciliation package. (There’s a lot to complain about when it comes to legislation, but not part of allowing all parents to spend the first few weeks with their babies.)

But Texas doesn’t have to wait for Washington to pass its own statewide policy on paid parental leave. Especially when you consider how good it would be for infants and their families.

Paid parental leave has been linked to improved outcomes for children, including lower infant mortality, longer breastfeeding times, and a reduction in low birth rates.

Economist Christopher Ruhm estimates that 10 additional weeks of paid parental leave reduces newborn mortality by 2.9%. This would save the lives of hundreds of babies each year. It would create more space for healthy bonding and increase the engagement of fathers in their children’s later life.

Paid family leave also has economic benefits. A study of California’s Paid Family Vacation Program, which provides eight weeks of paid vacation for new parents and caring for family members, found it significantly reduced reliance on welfare, food stamps, and debt.

A 2012 study by Rutgers, Pay Matters, found that paid vacation reduced a woman’s chances of using grocery stamps by 40% in the year after her child was born. Mothers are more likely to return to the same job and at higher wages, which gives their families more financial independence.

And politics is popular with voters and companies. According to polls by Pew Research, the vast majority of Americans, including the majority of Republicans, are in favor of paid parental leave policies. Public paid parental leave programs have received overwhelmingly positive or neutral responses from the business community.

The biggest catch with conservatives is usually the cost. But paid parental leave can be designed as a relatively affordable measure. Childbirth is an isolated event that is easy to document, and parental leave is taken on average less than twice in a person’s life. Taking six to eight weeks of paid parental leave in a booming state like Texas is certainly a feasible financial endeavor.

Some conservatives argue that people should save up before having children, but this is separate from reality. Almost half of births in the United States are unplanned, according to the CDC. Even planned pregnancy is a tough time to throw away a nest egg.

All infants deserve the opportunity to spend the first few weeks of life with their parents, regardless of what family they are born into, what financial situation they have or what company their parents work for. It should be a firm norm, deeply anchored in our culture, that all families can spend the first few weeks of their new child’s life together. A fundamental right that we protect, not a derogation or a benefit to the company.

Paid family leave supports strong families, improves the economic and health situation of infants and parents, and protects our most vulnerable. Pro-life Texans should be on the front lines for reform.

Abby M. McCloskey is the founder of McCloskey Policy LLC and a former campaign policy director for Howard Schultz and Rick Perry. She wrote this column for the Dallas Morning News.

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