A woman becomes pregnant and is unable to receive paid leave. She has no alternative but to stay home from work to care for herself and her newborn. 

Her job position becomes filled, leaving her stranded with no job. She worries about how she will care for and financially support her child. 

Parents should have time with their families without the worry of job security. Paid maternity and paternity leave is a must.

President Joe Biden recently proposed the Build Back Better bill that mandated a 12-week paid leave. The paid leave proposition was unfortunately cut from the bill because of the program’s potential cost. 

Many protests and disagreement occurred after this decision. After further consideration, the plan was reinstated, but only four weeks of paid leave were proposed. 

However, according to CNBC,  the legislation has not completed the process to become a law. And even then, lawmakers like Sen. Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, could object to the plan.

Because of COVID’s negative effects in the workplace, this plan must be implemented. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, COVID caused a rise in unemployment because workers were forced to stay home sick or care for family members who fell ill. We cannot afford to lose more workers because of no paid leave.

If maternity leave is not offered, the workplace will see a decline in valuable female workers. It is not right to force a woman to decide between her job or caring for her newborn. 

While pregnant, women may become unable to work. It is best to make them and their child’s health  the priority. 

Not every woman has family or friends available to help out with the baby when she goes back to work, which is another reason maternity leave is much needed. If a woman must remain at home with her baby because she has no help, she could be at risk of losing her job, and that is unjust. 

According to the New York Times, paid family leave is offered by 186 other countries and supported by more than 70% of adults in the United States.

Not only maternity but also paternity leave is needed. Fathers may benefit from paid leave. According to The New York Times, “studies show that men become better fathers and husbands when they get to parent and spend valuable time with their infant.” Both females and males should have the opportunity to have paid leave. 

Currently, the United States offers no paid maternity or paternity leave regardless of the need. Usually with a government controlled by Democrats, a law like this would not struggle to pass because family paid leave is known as a party priority.