Are we on the world’s most horrifying episode of Punk’D? No. We’re people in the United States facing crisis after crisis. 

We’ve been fighting so hard to win legislative change like paid family and medical leave that will help our families achieve economic security…and then here comes the Supreme Court two weeks ago overturning Roe v. Wade and striping away our autonomy, our right to be free and equal members of society, and our ability to access the abortion care we need.  

And, in the middle of this, some conservative anti-choice lawmakers have even had the audacity to suggest that access to abortion services won’t be needed if our country would finally pass paid family and medical leave – even as they’ve opposed passing paid family and medical leave for decades to the extent that ZERO states with abortion bans have access to paid family and medical leave!?!?! [1][2]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This is not an either/or situation. We need access to abortion care and we also need paid family and medical leave – and we need them both RIGHT now.

→ Congress needs to act quickly to pass comprehensive and permanent paid family and medical leave and also restore abortion rights across the country.

Look, it’s not lost on us that the states that will have the biggest restrictions on abortion access are also states where zero paid family and medical leave laws have been passed. ZERO. The ideology at work here is control – and cruelty (and forcing moms and parents out of much-needed jobs) is the point. Our freedom is at stake. 

Gillibrand-PaidLeave.png

The truth of the matter is that most people who have abortions are already moms. [3] Access to abortion care and paid family and medical leave are both extremely important for families economic security, which in turn benefits our country’s economic security too.

Congress needs to act quickly to pass paid family and medical leave and also restore abortion rights. 

→ Congress needs to act quickly to pass comprehensive and permanent paid family and medical leave and also restore abortion rights across the country.

Our country CAN be better than this, that’s a sentiment I want to believe with my entire heart and soul. We deserve, no, our country deserves policies that support and protect its citizens, their liberties and their human rights.  

Personal experiences are powerful and can make a HUGE difference in helping elected leaders understand how public policies impact families so they can move change. We want to hear more from YOU! Can you take a second and follow the link below to share your personal story about how having, or NOT having, access to job-protected paid leave or affordable, quality child care has impacted your family in the pandemic? https://action.momsrising.org/sign/PaidTimeOff/