The mothers of America are looking for your leadership in creating a more truly family-friendly nation. There are many policies that would help achieve that, but today I am writing to you about one in particular -- paid maternity and paternity leave. As a mother who is concerned about the welfare of all the parents and children of America, I ask you to please address this issue as soon as possible. In fact, our future as a healthy nation depends on it.

Few people realize that out of over 170 countries, the U.S. is one of only five that doesn't have any form of paid leave for new mothers. Three of these are the poor nations of Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and Lesotho. This simply isn't right. When parents have a new baby or adopt a child, they should be able to take time to care for that child without giving up a paycheck.

Instead, the birth of a child in the U.S. is one of the leading causes of poverty spells today. That certainly isn't very "family-friendly." Please let me know what you will do as my [insert one of the following titles: President, Senator, U.S. Representative, State Senator, State Delegate] to ensure that our nation reverses this dangerous trend.

Sincerely,
______________________________

Stumble Upon Facebook Del.icio.us Google Yahoo Digg it