Democrats introduce paid menstrual leave bill with 12 days off per year
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Democratic lawmakers complained in late May about employers not providing paid leave for painful menstrual periods, describing it as “economic violence.”
“Forcing a worker to choose between paying their rent or losing a day’s pay to recover from a grueling gynecological procedure is not a choice. This is economic violence,” said Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz. press conference On May 21.
Grijalva was joined by Reps. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., who supports Ansari’s Reproductive Health Leave Act, which is part of the “HER” (Healthy, Equity, Rights) Agenda. and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. attended.
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Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., told TIME in an article published Sunday that she often “cries, moans, or vomits on the bathroom floor, in the fetal position,” due to menstrual pain. (Getty Images)
The flagship bill, the Reproductive Health Leave Act (H.R. 8158), would provide up to 12 days of paid leave per year for reproductive health needs including severe menstrual pain, abortions, menopausal symptoms, miscarriages, biopsies, vasectomies, and more. The “HER” Agenda also includes work on gynecological pain management and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder awareness.
“No one should have to choose between their paycheck and their health to cope with this kind of incredible pain,” Tlaib said at the press conference.
The paid leave bill would require employers to provide 12 days of paid leave each year for reproductive health issues. (iStock)
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Ansari, the youngest woman in Congress, attributes the bill to her own menstrual pain: I say TIME In an article published Sunday, he said he once woke up with the floor of his local snack bar “drenched in sweat, being dragged into an ambulance” and that there were days every month when he felt “barbed wire” inside him.
The bill, introduced Saturday with 28 Democratic co-sponsors and zero Republican sponsors, has already received backlash.
“Ladies, you can’t keep saying men can be women, but you can also say that women are a special category. You have to choose a path. You’re very confusing to the rest of us.” Rhode Island State Representative Marie Hopkins, R., Published on X.
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Some social media users questioned whether the bill would make it easier for employees to discriminate when hiring women and shared concerns that men would not be able to get paid leave for prostate problems and testosterone-related conditions, despite covering vasectomies.
Other users also questioned whether the bill could force employers to pay workers time off to recover from an abortion.
The bill has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women (NOW), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Planned Parenthood endorsed Ansari’s agenda. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP)
Angela Vasquez-Giroux, vice president of Planned Parenthood Votes, told Bloomberg in an article published Friday that “even though there are obstacles to enacting legislation,” that doesn’t mean lawmakers shouldn’t try.
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“We have seen tremendous success from candidates who have a plan and a point of view,” said Planned Parenthood Votes Vice President of Communications Angela Vasquez-Giroux. he told Bloomberg. “Just because we can’t get something past majority opposition at the time doesn’t mean we shouldn’t put forward our vision of the world we want to create.
