GOP Congresswoman Slammed for Homophobic Dig at Pete Buttigieg
metroweekly.comJanuary 18, 2024All federal workers, including employees of Congress, are eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
That’s the benefit Buttigieg took advantage of when his children developed medical complications.But the decision to do so, in 2021, just months after being confirmed as Secretary of Transportation, has drawn jeers and derision from conservatives, many of whom believe that fathers shouldn’t qualify for parental leave since they do not directly give birth — or, apparently, have any significant role in child-rearing, except when it’s politically convenient to champion “parental rights.”Luna, 34, who gave birth to a son in August, had initially planned to return to Congress soon after giving birth.
In fact, she currently has no childcare and brings her 4-month-old son with her to the Capitol almost every day, according to The New York Times.But she suffered from pre-eclampsia and had to have labor induced, experiencing a difficult delivery and developing an infection, mastitis, that led her doctor to prohibit her from traveling from her home in Florida back to Washington.While she was being treated for her condition, Luna was forced to miss several key votes, including one on a stopgap spending plan to avoid a government shutdown, which she opposed, and the vote to oust Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House.
Luna subsequently drafted a bill to grant six weeks of maternity leave to new mothers in Congress and make an exception to rules adopted by the Republican House earlier this year banning proxy voting, which conservatives argue was abused by Democrats when they controlled the House, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.Under the bill, those mothers who have physically given birth would be allowed to vote by proxy.
