The United States is one of only seven countries lacking a federal mandate for paid maternal or family leave. Within the country, only 13 states and D.C. have paid family and medical leave programs, acting as a lifeline for families.
Often considered by lawmakers to be a program too expensive to start, it’s the cost of inaction that lawmakers should be concerned with, according to Dawn Huckelbridge, executive producer of a new short film Lifelines and founding director of Paid Leave for All.
"A lot of people miss their baby's first smile. ... They're not there to hold their parent’s hand because they can't get the time off work. ... However it is funded in the long run, it is putting money back into the economy. It is saving jobs."
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