Women’s Group Congratulates Senator Tammy Duckworth for Making History as First U.S. Senator to Give Birth While in Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 9, 2018
CONTACT: Yasmina Dardari | yasmina@unbendablemedia.com | (407) 922-8149
Women’s Group Congratulates Senator Tammy Duckworth for Making History as First U.S. Senator to Give Birth While in Office
UltraViolet Urges Senate to Modernize ‘Outdated’ Rules That Could Prevent Her from Doing Her Job As a New Mother
In reaction to the announcement that Senator Tammy Duckworth gave birth to her child today—making her the first U.S. Senator in history to give birth while in office—Nita Chaudhary, Co-Founder of UltraViolet, a leading national women’s group, issued the following statement:
“We send our congratulations and warm wishes to Senator Duckworth and her family on the addition of baby Maile Pearl Bowlsbey. In a world filled with terrible headlines on an hourly basis, the historic moment of the first Senator to give birth while in office is such welcomed, wonderful news.
“Unfortunately, Senator Duckworth now faces a problem that is all too familiar to women in this country—a workplace that devalues women and makes being a working mother exceptionally challenging. Senate rules prevent Senator Duckworth from taking leave or bringing her newborn daughter onto the floor so she can vote. We support her Senate colleagues to change the outdated rules and help make the U.S. Senate a welcoming place for new mothers.
“For the sake of Maile, Senator Duckworth, and all the women who someday want to both serve their nation and have children, the Senate should take immediate action to change the rules and allow Senator Duckworth to do the job she was elected to do.”
Last month, UltraViolet launched a campaign and petition urging the Senate modernize its rules to allow new mothers to vote while caring for their children. The campaign comes after Senator Duckworth said in an interview with Politico that she cannot technically take maternity leave, citing Senate rules that bar children from the floor and require Senators to be physically present to cast a vote. More than 80,000 people have signed UltraViolet’s petition.
VIEW THE PETITION HERE: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/duckworth_maternity/
Last Wednesday, local members of UltraViolet also delivered a baby onesie to Senator Duckworth Chicago office, celebrating her as the first woman ever to give birth while serving in the U.S. Senate. The baby onesie read: “Let My Momma Vote.”
For more information, or for interview with an UltraViolet spokesperson, please contact Yasmina Dardari at (407) 922-8149 or by email at yasmina@unbendablemedia.com.
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UltraViolet is an online community of over 1,000,000 women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media. Find out more at weareultraviolet.org.