On Feb. 25, Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-C.O.) flew cross-country from Colorado to Washington, D.C., with her four-week-old infant, to vote against the House spending plan. At the beginning of her statement on the House floor, Rep. Pettersen said, “I wasn’t going to let [being denied the opportunity to vote virtually] stop me from being here to represent my constituents.” The budget, which has the potential to cut social services like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to fund tax cuts for the wealthy, passed by two votes.
Pregnancy-related travel restrictions prevented Rep. Pettersen from representing the seventh district of Colorado for a month and a half from Jan. 13 to Feb. 25. She was not medically permitted to fly as her due date approached because of the increased risk of blood clots and radiation exposure, and she could not travel for four weeks following the birth of her son. Furthermore, many providers advise against air travel until the infant is at least three months old to avoid slowing the parent’s recovery, exacerbating pain from childbirth and to reduce the risk of the newborn contracting an illness. Others suggest waiting at least six weeks to allow for recovery, yet Rep. Pettersen traveled as soon as possible to represent her district and vote on the House budget.
Some votes could be drastically changed by the presence or absence of a single member of Congress, which is why Rep. Pettersen and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-F.L.) proposed House Resolution 23 in January to allow new parents to vote by proxy for 12 weeks following the birth of their child. The bipartisan resolution, titled “Proxy Voting for New Parents Resolution,” would permit a member of the House who has given birth or a member of the House whose spouse has given birth to designate another member to cast their vote, as authorized via a signed form with specific components. There is precedent for proxy voting in Congress, as it was available during the pandemic. If passed, this resolution may pave the way for other proxy votes, covering instances such as a member’s illness, attending a funeral or caring for a sick family member.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-L.A.) opposes the resolution because he believes that proxy voting is unconstitutional, and will likely refuse to bring it up for a vote. Despite this opposition, Reps. Luna and Pettersen plan to file a discharge petition in mid-March to force House Resolution 23 to the floor, and they are working on winning additional Republican support to ensure that the discharge petition passes. Rep. Luna told CNN that this is a pro-family policy, which should have the support of the Republican Party because it often emphasizes its pro-family platform.
Support for all facets of reproductive health, including pregnancy, childbirth and childcare, is essential. Without it, people may hesitate to take positions that would interfere with their reproductive agency, particularly individuals who can become pregnant. Although women have served in Congress for over a century and currently make up about 29% of our legislative branch, Reps. Luna and Pettersen were only the twelfth and thirteenth women to give birth in Congress. The U.S. must affirm and protect the choice to become a parent, as well as the choice not to, and provide the necessary infrastructure so that each choice is feasible. This should not be a partisan issue.
This issue expands further than Congress, as the lack of paid leave laws across the nation restricts employment access, particularly for women. Although the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for workers regardless of gender, it does not support low-income and working-class women who would not be able to forgo their wages while on leave. FMLA also excludes part-time workers, small business employees and individuals who have been at their job for less than a year. Like Reps. Luna and Pettersen’s proposal to establish proxy voting for new parents, policies like paid leave, fair pay and improved childcare infrastructure have the potential to break down economic and political barriers for all people, regardless of political affiliation.
