EU: All Mothers Deserve Time to Bond with Babies!
- by: Kristi Arnold
- recipient: President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy
An EU court has ruled that women who have children through surrogates are not entitled to maternity leave. This means that women who have struggled with fertility issues won't be allowed to take time off to bond with and care for their newborns -- they may not have gone through the same physical toll as a woman who just gave birth, but it's important that they be present for this critical stage in their child's development. This especially doesn't make sense since adopted children are included in the current rules!
Vanessa Hogan, an employment lawyer at Hogan Lovell, told The Guardian: "Advances in medical technology in recent years have made surrogacy arrangements more common. These decisions show that laws that were drafted two decades ago do not cater for such advances.
"The good news for families in this situation is that changes introduced by the Children & Families Act will make it easier in future for the intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement to access adoption leave and pay and shared parental leave and pay. It will therefore be possible for either or both intended parents to take leave around the time of a child's birth."
Tell the EU to reverse its decision to not require maternity leave be given to mothers who have children via surrogates. Birth mothers and adopted mothers are afforded this right, do not deny it to mothers who choose surrogacy.
Dear Sirs,
We the undersigned ask that the ruling that women who have children through surrogates are not entitled to maternity leave be reconsidered.
This ruling means that women who have struggled with fertility issues won't be allowed to take time off to bond with and care for their newborns -- they may not have gone through the same physical toll as a woman who just gave birth, but it's important that they be present for this critical stage in their child's development. This especially doesn't make sense since adopted children are included in the current rules!
Vanessa Hogan, an employment lawyer at Hogan Lovell, told The Guardian: "Advances in medical technology in recent years have made surrogacy arrangements more common. These decisions show that laws that were drafted two decades ago do not cater for such advances.
"The good news for families in this situation is that changes introduced by the Children & Families Act will make it easier in future for the intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement to access adoption leave and pay and shared parental leave and pay. It will therefore be possible for either or both intended parents to take leave around the time of a child's birth."
Reverse the decision to not require maternity leave be given to mothers who have children via surrogates. Birth mothers and adopted mothers are afforded this right, do not deny it to mothers who choose surrogacy.
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.