Court Ruling Against Maternity Leave Is Bad For Business

Mommies are getting judgmental about a new court ruling.

In Massachusetts it is now legal to fire a woman for taking more than the state mandated 8 weeks off without pay.

Won’t somebody think of the children?

The state’s Supreme Judicial Court ruled:

Once a female employee is absent from employment for more than eight weeks, she is no longer within the purview of the [Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act] and, consequently, is not afforded the protections conferred by the statute.

This ruling is only for some women, those who work in a small company — one with less than 50 employees! The federal law, which protects unpaid maternity leave for 12 weeks, only applies to large companies.

I know some people think maternity leave is all touchy-feely, bleeding liberal stuff. But it is not. It is just common sense.

After pushing a watermelon out of a small hole, or having their abdomen sliced in two, most women need a little time to recover physically. Until we perfect artificial wombs this is a fact. If there is to be a new generation of Americans they have to be born by women who cannot go back to work the next day. Sorry if that messes with your bottom line.

Once the baby is born, it will be about 18 years before it is ready to enter the workforce. There is government childcare for a good chunk of that time, from 9am to 3 pm every day, but until the little kid is ready for school there needs to be a form of childcare.

To make matters worse, the new baby is completely helpless. It comes out half-baked — it can’t even lift its own head or feed itself. The brain is still forming connections, so if it is ever going to develop a formula for cold fusion it needs to be developed. Think of it a little like a small business that needs a consultant before it can really take off.

Experts repeatedly say that the best people to care for the baby are an adult family member. However, fathers aren’t given paternity leave and maternity leave is now restricted to 8-12 weeks. Well-to-do parents can hire a nanny and tight-knit families can force grandparents out of retirement, but that is not an option for all parents.

If you can find a daycare willing to take your 2 year old, then that leaves 96 weeks without childcare. Imagine your secretary gets hit by a car and the temp agency can’t find you a replacement in time — it’s a little like that, but for 1.75 years.

The ruling has been called “a victory for business interests” but it is far from it. If we don’t care for our children they will not be able to help our society grow. Businesses need workers and unless we produce good ones then the economy will stagnate.

If you’re in the same league as Swaziland and Zambia, it is a good indicator that something is going wrong.