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That’s an alarming increase from mere decades ago. Quartz reports:Įach year, around 1,200 American mothers die in childbirth-meaning about 28 mothers die for every 100,000 live births. (It’s actually proven to keep women from leaving the workforce.) And also, as Oliver points out, “Any legislation that specifically seeks to support women often faces vocal opposition.” (Too real, John.)Īnother “I love you, Mom” pick-me-up for you: While the rate of maternal deaths has decreased in countries around the world - like India, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh - it’s actually increased in the United States over the past 25 years. Why on earth do people oppose paid maternity leave? For starters, there’s an insane and false idea that paying women while they’re caring for infants (and, god forbid, themselves) is bad for business. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. You’re forced to go back to work without having recuperated from the physical ordeal that is pushing a seven-pound human out of your body, and you also have to negotiate the terrible stress of trying to figure out who is going to take care of the tiny, helpless puddle of a person that’s now in your life. If this is no big deal to you, consider this: If you’re a woman without enough of a financial cushion to take off weeks of unpaid leave - like, for example, young single moms - you’re pretty much just fucked. Just kidding! For starters, we’re one of two countries in the entire world that don’t offer paid maternity leave. Yesterday, as you may or may not have gathered from your mom’s passive aggressive email this morning (subject: “How was ur weekend honey?”), was Mother’s Day. And there’s no better country than the good ol’ USA to celebrate women who have produced you and me and everyone we know, because we pride ourselves on treating them with all the love, care, and respect that they deserve. For National Women’s Health Week, we are highlighting women’s health issues in the United States.