Thanks to Senator Tammy Duckworth, American politicians will be free to work after maternity leave and members of parliament will be able to breastfeed in Parliament.
The United States takes a step forward in terms of respect for and protection of mothers' rights: the United States Senate has passed a law allowing new mothers to breastfeed their children in parliament. The credit goes to Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who not only proposed the law but also made immediate use of it by going to vote with her newborn son in her arms. Before the Illinois politician's request, the rules prevented mothers from bringing their children into the chamber, forcing them to choose between continuing to attend votes or staying at home to look after their newborn.
Now, thanks to a unanimous vote — approved by both Democrats and Republicans — mothers in the Senate will be able to continue with their constitutional duties without giving up their responsibilities as mothers.
The decision by the Washington congress was significant, but it is just one chapter in the remarkable life of Senator Tammy Duckworth. Before entering politics, the fifty-year-old served as a helicopter pilot in the United States Army. In 2004, during an incident in Iraq, she lost both legs and has since moved about in a wheelchair or with prosthetics that help her walk. She was the first woman with a disability to be elected to the United States Senate, and just a few weeks ago she broke another record by becoming the first senator to give birth during her term in office. This is Duckworth's second child; she and her husband Bryan Bowlsbey decided to name the newborn Baby Maile, while the couple's first daughter, now 4 years old, is called Abigail.
Thanks to Duckworth's intervention, infants up to one year of age can enter the parliamentary chambers in Washington and mothers can breastfeed during the working day. "I thank my colleagues for bringing the Senate into the twenty-first century," the Democratic politician tweeted. "It has finally been recognised that sometimes parents also have professional responsibilities to attend to."
Tammy Duckworth then added in a press release: "Being a parent is not just about women. I am not the only mother who is also a working woman, and so I decided to take action on behalf of those who are in the same situation as me." Perhaps the American example could prompt Italian politicians — who in December 2017 rejected a similar bill in the Senate — to reconsider, so as to allow women in politics to have a family while continuing to serve their country.
