We respectfully request that the US government amend federal leave policies to support families by providing 12 weeks of paid family leave to new parents. Family structure and financial security are driving factors in children’s lifelong success, and the federal government should update leave policies to the 21st century – a century in which mothers work and contribute to the economy, families rely on full employment, and fathers are no longer sidelined in the rearing of children.
Mothers cannot bear the sole financial and emotional burden of birth, bonding, and child-rearing. Federal leave policies should set the tone for family leave reform in the private sector. Let’s set up our children, and the children of our neighbors, for successful lives by supporting families today.