NEW YORK CITY — In a groundbreaking move, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has put forth a proposal to provide pregnant women with 40 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments. This initiative, if passed, would make New York the first state in the U.S. to offer such benefits, marking a significant step towards improving maternal and neonatal health.
Hochul’s six-point plan aims to address the growing maternal mortality rates in the U.S. and the country’s lag behind other developed nations in this regard. The plan includes not only the provision of paid leave for prenatal appointments, but also expanded benefits for hiring doulas, efforts to reduce unnecessary cesarean births, improved mental health services for mothers, elimination of copays and out-of-pocket expenses, and the provision of cribs to all newborns.
Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Hochul emphasized that mothers and babies are dying unnecessarily across the nation, and that this issue is deeply personal to her as a mother of two. She also pointed out that while New York already offers four months of paid leave, the benefits are currently unavailable until four weeks before birth, making it difficult for mothers who experience early pregnancy sickness or for low-income women who struggle to make medical appointments throughout their pregnancy.
The proposal will be presented to the state Legislature, where Hochul’s Democrats hold strong majorities in both houses. While the estimated cost of the plan has not yet been published, Hochul cited a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which revealed a 3% increase in infant mortality rates from 2021 to 2022, marking the first annual increase in 20 years. Additionally, maternal mortality rates have also risen, with the rate for Black women being 2.6 times that for white women.
With this bold proposal, Gov. Hochul is taking a significant step towards addressing the maternal and neonatal health crisis in the U.S., and setting a precedent for other states to follow suit in prioritizing the well-being of mothers and babies.
Disagree.
Disagree, unnecessary burden on businesses.
Disagree, unfair advantage for mothers over other employees.