Politics of Maternity Leave

GeraldoRivera

RustyBelle:

If you are only asking for paid leave for new moms that is a special treatment, similar to the flexible work hours for women to take care of family obligations. But that didn't go over too well among the women. lol

Women are the only ones who give birth, therefore they have a unique need for maternity leave. 

Women are not the only ones with family obligations, at least not in 2012.  That's why Romney's bit about the flexible work hours went over poorly.

**cantwait**

RustyBelle:

Exactly, it's a medical issue so why would it be handled different than any other medical issue? If you get cancer or have surgery you have to recover from you don't get paid leave for that. So in order to be equal wouldn't we have to offer paid leave for other medical issues? If you are only asking for paid leave for new moms that is a special treatment, similar to the flexible work hours for women to take care of family obligations. But that didn't go over too well among the women. lol

PLEASE don't tell me you are comparing having cancer to having a child. One of them is a CHOICE.  The other is not.  

CoffeeBeen

RustyBelle:

Exactly, it's a medical issue so why would it be handled different than any other medical issue? If you get cancer or have surgery you have to recover from you don't get paid leave for that. So in order to be equal wouldn't we have to offer paid leave for other medical issues? If you are only asking for paid leave for new moms that is a special treatment, similar to the flexible work hours for women to take care of family obligations. But that didn't go over too well among the women. lol

It's not entirely a medical issue.  True, women need time to heal.  But it's also a psychosocial issue, which is why father's should have parental leave as well.  Saying that having a child is simply a medical issue like cancer is the most ignorant thing I've heard in a while.  

GeraldoRivera

**cantwait**:

RustyBelle:

Exactly, it's a medical issue so why would it be handled different than any other medical issue? If you get cancer or have surgery you have to recover from you don't get paid leave for that. So in order to be equal wouldn't we have to offer paid leave for other medical issues? If you are only asking for paid leave for new moms that is a special treatment, similar to the flexible work hours for women to take care of family obligations. But that didn't go over too well among the women. lol

PLEASE don't tell me you are comparing having cancer to having a child. One of them is a CHOICE.  The other is not.  

Why does it matter if one is a choice or not?? 

MidwestGidget

Raising kids may be a choice, but if it's solely based on an economic choice, then it doesn't make fiscal sense to have kids, in today's age. So yes, I think, as a society, we should be making raising kids a little easier.

Because otherwise you and I will have no one to pay for our social security benefits. 

AndrewBreitbart

ascd:

No, I wouldn't support a candidate that wanted to do such a thing.  The decision to have a child is a personal decision. And, therefore (IMO), something that you should be financially responsible for as well. You want extended maternity leave? Plan for it. Save for it.  You want a child? Plan for it. Save for it.  We're becoming much too dependent on the government. Think about it, we have programs to provide assistance with feeding infants, clothing the infants (there are diaper banks nowadays), feeding school aged children...breakfast, lunch and dinner in some locations, free childcare...and the list goes on and on. What's happened to personal responsibility? If you can afford to take an extended maternity leave...I think it's a wonderful thing but I don't believe it should be on someone else's dime.

 ETA - Also wondering...what do you do with those (and it happens all too often) who abuse the system? Extended maternity leave to not being able to afford the child (therefore, requiring additional government assistance) and then a second and or third pregnancy and a cycle that continues to repeat itself.  And, I do speak of a distant relative in Canada (23 yo) who is pregnant with #3 and who's fallen into this cycle and has no plans to remove herself anytime soon...or, so she says. 

I agree with this.  We're not in a place where businesses can pay for two people to do one job.  (the person who's off and the person in his/her place)  I also would not want to be the employee who has to shoulder all the extra work.