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
What the F***. I only got 4 weeks paid off and I had a c-section which takes atleast 2 months to fully recover from!
The difference between the UK and the USA is that the UK puts more emphasis on raising one's children for the betterment of society later on. They understand that a parent who spends the first year at home without being forced to worry about the monetary sacrafices raise better kids. They also chose the length of their maternity leave carefully. A child's first year is the most important in their life for many reasons. Children who have all the best in the beginning of life do better later on in life as functioning members of society. Many people in the UK look at the paid leaves as an investment in their countries future.
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With all that in mind, all parents should have the chance to allow one parent (of the couple or involved parents choice on who) to stay home for some kind of paid leave when a new child enters the home, regardless of how that child entered their lives. And the USA could learn a thing or 2 from the UK's stance on kids and families...
Until we as a Society start truly understanding how important it is for EVERYONES Benefit later on for Parents,especially Mothers to bond&take care of Their Newborns for the 1st few years,we will continue to see the child neglect&abuse we do now.People have become SO obsessed with themselves&"screw everyone else,I got mine",that we cannot continue much longer before we as a Nation will collapse under the weight of that selfishness&Greed.Employers SHOULD be concerned about The Health&Welfare of their Employees.Healthy Employees that are treated well by them work longer&accomplish more for said Company than those who treat them like Slaves.The so called Christian Right,aka GOP is the worst offender here in the U.S.Their"Christianity"is no closer to Christ than The Sun is to the Earth,it is now merely a Bastardization of Ayn Randian Philosophy that extoles Greed&Selfishness,derision of the poor&less Fortunate,and is responsible for the Policies why America is still so far behind the rest of The World in how we care for our Citizens.We're 49th out of 50 in The Industrialized WORLD for how we treat Babies&Children,the only worse Nation is Romania.The only "Exceptionalism"America has left is it's Selfishness.We MUST do better for ALL our children,or we will cease to exist.
I also would like to add that Fathers having this time is also Critical for Children&they should be given the SAME amount of time as Mothers.WHAT dam*difference does it make wether The Parent is "Natural",Adoptive or Surrogate?The fact is,they took on THE most important Job in The WORLD,they are raising the next Generation of People.People Who will be the ones to change the World,for better or worse,depending SOLEY on how they were raised.We can start raising people to actually give a damn about one another&The Planet we Live on,or we can end up in a dystopia that makes Somalia look hospitable.Peoples"worth"is NOT just merely Monetary.We are NOT a flipping Commodity to be exploited&tossed aside when our"worth"decreases&we are no longer seen as"valuable".It is a SICK philosophy to even suggest it&sadly is RAMPANT here in The U.S.I fostered8 children&raised2 Bio.I see the impact of such Policies every day.We can realize now&change it,or we can continue into total annihilation.It ISN'T too late,yet.
This is part of the reason the glass ceiling still exists! Companies don't want employees that are going to disappear for 12 weeks at a time, not matter WHAT the reason. You do realize that is 3 friggin months? We had a worker out for maternity leave last year for the whole 3 months and since we're shift workers, a lot of expensive over time was paid out having to cover her reproductive choice. And the company is supposed to pay her that whole time, plus more? You do understand the concept of a business is to make money, right?
Regarding this woman in the UK, kudos to her, she should get at least the same amount as adoptive parents, obviously breast-feeding is a non-issue for both, as well as healing. But they should only be paid as per law/policy. If she wants more time, she should quit her job and let someone who actually wants to work have the opportunity.
I understand the reasoning behind maternity leaves.I just always felt that having a baby was a choice not like sick leave.I don`t believe it is fair to other employees to pick up the slack.If you want to start a family then let a parent stay at home and do so without paid leave