On Wednesday, May 8th paid family leave will be at the fore front in Washington, D.C. when the House Ways & Means Committee holds a hearing on paid family leave. The United States is the only industrialized country that doesn’t guarantee its citizens Paid Family Leave. Things differ by state, California for example provides up to 6 weeks of partial pay to employees who take time off from work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child.

New mothers are often faced with the decision to either bond with their children or go back to work during a critical time of development for the newborn and immense transition for the family. Most households require two incomes to offset the cost of living, further complicating matters. As a result, many new families are negatively impacted and experience stressors that paid family leave policies can mitigate.

The concept of paid family leave has garnered attention globally. Let’s think about the unborn. The decisions made today will impact those of tomorrow. Children deserve the opportunity to thrive and parents need support in the form of national policies.