The United States is the only developed country in the world that does not mandate paid maternity leave for new parents. Rather, due to a patchwork of federal and state level regulations, new parents are at the mercy of their employer for coverage. The result is that the most vulnerable Americans have no paid leave coverage and must return to work shortly after the birth of their child. Volume XLIX staff editor Joyce Herward argues that the U.S. needs to enact legislation for both public and private workers using the international standard of 14 weeks minimum paid maternity.
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