Almost identical bills proposing a New Hampshire statute for paid family and medical leave – Senate Bill 1 (Senate Finance Committee) and House Bill 712 (House Labor Committee) – presently are before our state legislators.
Both would require 0.5 percent of the employee’s salary ($5 per week for the average employee) to be paid by the employer, who would be authorized to either pay it themselves or cover through insurance premium payable deductions. There is no opt out, unless an employer already has a paid family and medical leave plan in place. All employees would be entitled to a maximum of 12 weeks paid leave, receiving 60 percent of their regular salary. Job protection would be guaranteed. Actuarial studies show this is a financially solvent plan.
It was 20 years ago that former representative Mary Gile first asked me to testify in support of family leave. House members seemed unimpressed that all other industrialized countries provided paid family leave.
I have remained a supporter of paid family leave, and, in particular, an ardent advocate for a plan to give new moms an opportunity to spend the early months of life with their babies. France allows 6 months of paid maternity leave for a first child and 9 months for subsequent children. The U.K., Germany and Italy offer nine months, and Russia 12 months. Japan and China provide extended paid maternity leave for their new mothers.
Finally, last year, a N.H. paid family and medical leave bill advanced through the House – through three House committees and three floor votes. Unfortunately, this bipartisan legislation was voted down by the 14 Republicans in our Senate. To be honest, I wondered where the “family values” message, a pillar of the Republican Party, had been lost in the debate.
A survey had revealed that 82 percent of Granite Staters wanted a paid family leave program. Well over 100 N.H. businesses, large and small, including Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Concord Hospital, had endorsed this bill.
Today we have been given renewed hope that our legislators will understand what employers and the citizens of this state overwhelmingly desire – a statute ensuring paid family leave for workers who are facing the challenge of a critically ill child, or a parent who is dying, or a family member who is ravaged by addiction, or a new mother who is just learning to be a mother.
As an obstetrician, I want to speak specifically to the impact that paid maternity leave would have on the future of our society. When new moms present for their postpartum visits, most are still healing. Many are just starting to parent. Often tears flow in frustration, as they struggle to return to work, having to separate from their new baby and find someone to care for their newborn.
Harvard pediatrician Barry Brazelton, who died last year at 98, established 50 years ago how critical newborn bonding is for the baby and the parent. What he called “attachment” profoundly affects the relationship between the child and parent – a relationship that is vital to early and subsequent late development. We have a compelling biologic model showing that babies who experience the toxic stress of neglect in the first few months of life – the absence of simple acts of love, like cuddling – have difficulty learning.
Children who are undermined early are much less likely to lead productive, happy lives. They are much more likely to suffer mental illness, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other physical ailments like addiction. Right now we are pouring millions of dollars into treating those afflicted by addiction. A meager portion of that money would provide paid maternity leave and the opportunity to prevent addiction.
A pediatric colleague once said, “We can either invest in early childhood or build more hospitals and prisons 20 years later.” She was pleading for us to understand that the most cost effective window to bring about change in the health and welfare of society isn’t high school, or even kindergarten. It is in very early childhood. This can be accomplished with little money when compared to the financial burden of complex adult health problems.
Those who love well have been well loved. Those who care deeply about others have been deeply cared for. If we want adults who choose not to abuse themselves or others, we must first raise young children who have a strong sense of self worth. That starts in the very beginning. We must understand and take heart in the evidence showing that the first few months of life last forever.
A paid family and medical leave statute would give time and financial support to new parents, permitting them to bond with their baby. This “attachment” would pay dividends over the lifetime of their child. It should not surprise us that people who live in countries where there is paid maternity leave are healthier and live longer than us. They experience far less crime.
And, remarkably, their health care costs amount to half of what we spend per person in our country.
Paid family leave is fundamental to a healthy society. It provides the framework for a precious, priceless childhood – the foundation on which responsible, caring adults grow. For those of you who believe we cannot afford paid family leave, I would argue that we cannot afford not to have paid family leave. The future of our society rests on this investment.
(Dr. Oge Young of Concord, a retired obstetrician/gynecologist, is past president of the New Hampshire Medical Society.)