Democratic lawmakers have put forth a proposal that would necessitate employers to grant a minimum of seven days of paid leave subsequent to a pregnancy loss. This development comes in light of the common occurrence of miscarriages, estimated to happen in 10% to 20% of recognized pregnancies, and the absence of a nationwide paid leave program.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), calls for employers to provide seven days of paid leave annually for situations such as miscarriage, an unsuccessful adoption or surrogacy, or a medical issue that impacts pregnancy or fertility. Importantly, employees would not be required to provide proof of their loss to their employers.
Sen. Duckworth, who faced nearly a decade of infertility struggles herself, shared a personal experience after a miscarriage when she had to return to work on the same day. She emphasized the need for people to have the space to grieve after such a loss, underscoring that this was the driving force behind the bill.
The legislation is an expanded version of a similar bill introduced in 2021, which originally called for three days of paid leave for pregnancy loss. The update to seven days was made to offer more flexibility to workers and align with other paid leave proposals put forth by Democratic lawmakers.
Although the bill may face challenges in a divided Congress, Sen. Duckworth is actively seeking Republican co-sponsors. She pointed to her past success in garnering bipartisan support for legislation requiring breastfeeding rooms in airports as a potential model for achieving support for this paid leave policy. Additionally, the bill allocates $45 million to the National Institutes of Health for research into pregnancy loss and instructs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop educational resources on the topic.
