Jane Kassim, a mother in the U.K., finally has the babies of her dreams. After learning at age 15 that she would be unable to have children because she was born without a womb, she wasn't sure it would ever be her reality to have biological children. Then, according to The Telegraph, her cousin stepped in and offered to be a surrogate, and last month Isla Jane and Ivy May were born.
A beautiful, touching story, so far, right? That is until she found out that because she used a surrogate, she would be denied the same maternity leave rights that other mothers have. Other new mothers (adoptive moms included) in the U.K. get a full 52 weeks of maternity leave (39 of them paid); Kassim was only offered 13 weeks with no paid leave at all. The blatant discrimination and disregard for what maternity leave should be about are incredible.
Surprisingly this case in the spotlight is in the UK, where we generally look with envy at their more generous maternity leave policies. But even there, women who use surrogates aren't given the same rights as other new mothers.
While maternity leave is necessary to a certain degree for the physical recovery of a woman, the other reason that's just as crucial is that it provides time for the mother and baby to bond. Moms need that time to get to know their baby, establish feeding routines, and begin to adjust to this new change in their lives. ALL new mothers need that, regardless of how a baby enters the world. To say any mother deserves anything less is shameful.
In the U.K., they're now taking a serious look at this inequity, and legislation has been introduced to change things. But what about here in the United States, where many women don't get paid maternity leave no matter how their babies came into the world? According to the Huffington Post, while current law provides American women with six weeks of paid leave, only about 50 percent of women are actually offered that because there are so many loopholes.
Overall, it's as sad as it is maddening, and just another example of how difficult it is for mothers to return to the workforce if they so wish.
Do you think women who use surrogates should be allowed the same maternity leave rights as women who carry their own children?
Image via Kunoel/Flickr
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Comments 75
I didn't have any paid leave. I think every woman should have Some leave so they can bond with their baby.
I'm not entirely sure what the differences are with regard to how adoption vs. "normal" pregnancy/birth work, but if they differ then I think surrogacy should be treated like adoption.
Julie needs to revise the last part of the article with regard to what women in the US receive in terms of maternity leave/pay. There is no law that says women receive 6 wks paid maternity leave. I receive 6 wks of pay at 60%, but that is ONLY because I have a short term disability policy. I am covered by FMLA so I will be taking more than just 6 wks off, some of it will be covered by accrued vacation time, but about half my leave will be unpaid.
To be continued due to lenth, apparently...
...continued
There are some companies here in the US with their own parental leave policies, but they are rare. My husband works for one of these rare gems, and he gets 2 wks paid Paternity leave that doesn't eat into his vacation time. He could take another 2 wks at 75% pay if he wanted, but we don't plan to take advantage of that. I also work for a great company. While we are large enough that FMLA applies, we are small enough that the owner is the president, and my request to take 4 months instead of 3 months off (which is all that is guaranteed by FMLA) was approved. I don't get paid for any of that time, but they are willing to give me more than the required minimum, which is awesome! These are the types of companies who create loyal employees, and I wish there were more of them out there.
In the US we get FLMA that gives us 12 weeks UNPAID and if you have vacation or sick time that can be used. With my first daughter I could only afford 2 weeks becuase I couldn't be out unpaid and with my second only 4 weeks, with my 3rd I didn't have a job. Now I work 60 hours a week.
I agree that they should be given the same leave as adoptive mothers.