Federal Paid Parental Leave For 3 years in America
When we invest into babies, we invest into our shared future
A National Emergency Petition
My Story
The only other countries without paid leave are Papua New Guinea, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Tonga. One underdeveloped county, six developing island nations, and the seventh is the richest economy in human history: the United States.
This is not the American standard. We should have the best paid leave program on earth.
1 in 4 workers has access paid family leave through their employment. 14 states have stepped up and guarantee paid family leave. It should not matter where someone lives or what job they have: every mother deserves to heal after childbirth, no baby should be separated from their mother, and every father deserves to bond without the full financial pressure placed upon him.
As many as 1 in 4 employed mothers returns to work within two weeks of giving birth. Nearly three quarters say they did so because they could not afford to stay home with their baby.
The federal law we do have, FMLA, provides only 12 weeks of unpaid leave. About 44 percent of workers don’t even qualify because of employer size or work history requirements.
Meanwhile, federal employees have received 12 weeks of paid parental leave since 2020. Congress has already recognized that paid leave matters. It’s time to extend that protection to every American family.
Having a baby saved my life from depression and drinking, but I almost didn't have my daughter— not because I didn't want her— but because the thought of having a baby was terrifying in the USA. We are the only developed country that doesn't have a national paid parental leave policy. After my daughter was born, I was pumping in a work bathroom and running on no sleep caring for a baby in the evenings. I requested to work part-time to be present and nurse my baby, and I was fired. Something ignited in me. I started interviewing strangers with a baby on my hip. I met a father who wished he had paid leave yet beared the pressure of became a one income household. A business owner who said "It's one of the reasons I don't became a mother. Paid leave isn't just a woman's issue, it affects everyone." And the most heartbreaking story of a mother having a c-section and retiring to work just 7 days after.
Their stories were different, but the message was the same: they were all impacted by the lack of paid leave in America.
The Problem
The Most Desired Policy Across Both Parties
82 percent of American voters support a federal paid family program, including 90 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans, according to a 2024 national poll by Morning Consult for Pivotal Ventures and the Bipartisan Policy Center. This is not a partisan issue, it is an American issue.
I am asking congress to pass a national paid leave policy for 3 years. America should become the world leader in supporting the next generation.
Who pays for this? Who pays for this? A dedicated social insurance contribution, the same way Social Security is funded, pooled across all workers so no single employer carries the cost. The complete funding model, with sources, is in the full plan. The USA spends less than 1% of its GDP on family benefits. By comparison, other countries spend 2.0% to 2.35%.
Sign the petition. Share it with the mothers in your life. A signature is a voice. A share is a movement.
Are you a mother or father? Tell us what happened to you. We are collecting 1,000 stories of American postpartum life and taking them to Congress. Your story may be the one a senator cannot forget.
Recovery does not end at six weeks. Birth leaves a wound inside the uterus roughly the size of a dinner plate, where the placenta detached. Mothers bleed for weeks. A C-section is major abdominal surgery that people physically heal from for 8 weeks. Full recovery can take six months to two years. A mother carried a baby for 9 months, risked her life in childbirth. The least we can do for mothers is give them time and support for continuing society.
A baby is biologically designed to stay close to their mother. Her body helps regulate their heart rate, breathing, and temperature. Babies do not know they are separate of their mothers until 6 months old. The World Health Organization recommends to breastfeed excessively for the first 6 months of life, only 1 in 4 are and its connected to the lack of paid leave. Breastfeeding isn't just nutrition, it soothes and protects them babies with antibodies. Babies deserve to feel safe and a real, on-demand nursing relationship.
The Baby
The Mother
Paid Leave is the Smartest Investment For Our Country
The countries with the longest paid leave have higher rates of women in the workforce because mothers aren't forced to quit. It saves employers money because paid leave reduces turnover. And it pays the country back A National Bureau of Economic Research analysis found that every $1,000 invested in paid leave returns $7,000 to $29,000 in social benefits: healthier mothers, healthier babies, lower healthcare costs, and children who grow up to earn more.
Babies are the future, that's why we all pay for children to attend school for 13 years. Babies become the next generation of farmers, teachers, nurses and builders. If we want a thriving society, we must start at birth. A babies first years of life are a critical window for bonding and brain development. Every worker pays into our elderly social security and we must invest into the beginning of life too. We all benefit from paid leave. All babies deserve a strong start.
America should have the best paid family leave in the world because America should be the top-ranked place in the world to raise a child.