Thanks for this perspective - I continue to be astonished that this is such a controversial topic in 2025. As a mom of 2 currently on my 16 week maternity leave (very generous by today’s US standards), this topic has been on the forefront of my mind. I continue to believe if these old privileged men had to deal with keeping a newborn alive for a day plus the physical symptoms of being newly postpartum plus flying across the country they would quickly change their tune. Also love stressing the importance of making this inclusive for all parents! My husband is very involved and committed to sharing the parental load equally, however the lack of support for dads in the workplace makes this much more difficult for our family to achieve.
Thanks for this! I think the most important point is that Mike Johnson is not going to promote anything that gives women a path outside the home. He wants the 1950s.
I have so many thoughts and need some time to thoroughly articulate them (which means this was an excellent read!) but for now I'll say, as a mom of two (almost 3 and 7 months) I STILL feel sick when I remember that pic of Rep Petterson with her newborn after flying to DC to vote... inspired by her commitment to her constituents but physically unwell to think about what she had to force her newly postpartum body to do to get there, with a fresh baby in tow, no less! UGH!
Thank you Emily for spotlighting Vote Mama and supporting their work with your subscription proceeds this week! Their mission is so simple and so necessary - more moms, more caregivers, more parents, more people who have their pulse on the daily grind and their eyes toward the future - in office means that our government and its policies will reflect the actual lived experiences of Americans.
"Let’s fix the system. Not accept it the way it is." Just imagine if our real goal was to make life work for any kind of family in this country. There are so many things that don't support families. I don't have kids but I still want all families to thrive.
Thanks so much for this. So well said by both of you! I also heard Brittany Pettersen saying she couldn’t fly at the end of her pregnancy, so that seems like another obvious exception they should make. Being towards the end of your pregnancy and not able to fly shouldn’t keep you from representing your constituents!
If you are interested in running for state or local office, Run For Something is actively recruiting Progressive candidates! They provide mostly direction and support so that running for office is less daunting, and some of their alums have made it to national office! https://runforsomething.net/
Thank you for posting about this! Saying that it feels foreign bc the system isn't set up to support mothers and that it's about power is so true! This is so maddening!
Thanks for this perspective - I continue to be astonished that this is such a controversial topic in 2025. As a mom of 2 currently on my 16 week maternity leave (very generous by today’s US standards), this topic has been on the forefront of my mind. I continue to believe if these old privileged men had to deal with keeping a newborn alive for a day plus the physical symptoms of being newly postpartum plus flying across the country they would quickly change their tune. Also love stressing the importance of making this inclusive for all parents! My husband is very involved and committed to sharing the parental load equally, however the lack of support for dads in the workplace makes this much more difficult for our family to achieve.
Brittany Pettersen is my rep! I've made a lot of thank you calls to her office lately.
Thanks for this! I think the most important point is that Mike Johnson is not going to promote anything that gives women a path outside the home. He wants the 1950s.
Thanks so much for this interview! I’m sharing it with my cousin, a mom of 3 under 5 who is running for her city council!
I have so many thoughts and need some time to thoroughly articulate them (which means this was an excellent read!) but for now I'll say, as a mom of two (almost 3 and 7 months) I STILL feel sick when I remember that pic of Rep Petterson with her newborn after flying to DC to vote... inspired by her commitment to her constituents but physically unwell to think about what she had to force her newly postpartum body to do to get there, with a fresh baby in tow, no less! UGH!
Thank you Emily for spotlighting Vote Mama and supporting their work with your subscription proceeds this week! Their mission is so simple and so necessary - more moms, more caregivers, more parents, more people who have their pulse on the daily grind and their eyes toward the future - in office means that our government and its policies will reflect the actual lived experiences of Americans.
Such an important topic. Democracy needs to be more expansive, more inclusive, not less. By ALL the people, for ALL the people.
"Let’s fix the system. Not accept it the way it is." Just imagine if our real goal was to make life work for any kind of family in this country. There are so many things that don't support families. I don't have kids but I still want all families to thrive.
Thanks so much for this. So well said by both of you! I also heard Brittany Pettersen saying she couldn’t fly at the end of her pregnancy, so that seems like another obvious exception they should make. Being towards the end of your pregnancy and not able to fly shouldn’t keep you from representing your constituents!
If you are interested in running for state or local office, Run For Something is actively recruiting Progressive candidates! They provide mostly direction and support so that running for office is less daunting, and some of their alums have made it to national office! https://runforsomething.net/
Thank you for posting about this! Saying that it feels foreign bc the system isn't set up to support mothers and that it's about power is so true! This is so maddening!
Thank you for this post. I called my rep today and it was nerve wracking, but I felt like it mattered right now.