A group of Democratic lawmakers held a press conference on May 21 to push for paid leave covering reproductive health conditions, including severe menstrual pain, and called the current situation a form of economic harm to workers.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona was among those at the press conference. "Forcing a worker to choose between paying her rent or losing a day's pay to recover from a grueling gynecological procedure is not a choice. It's economic violence," Grijalva said.
She was joined by Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. The three lawmakers are backing Ansari's Reproductive Healthcare Leave Act, which is part of a broader package Ansari calls her H.E.R., or Healthy, Equity, Rights, Agenda, according to Fox News.
The bill, designated H.R. 8158, would provide up to 12 days of paid leave per year for reproductive health needs. Covered conditions include severe menstrual pain, abortions, menopause symptoms, miscarriages, biopsies, and vasectomies, among others. The broader H.E.R. Agenda also includes provisions calling for studies on gynecological pain management and awareness of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.
"No one should have to choose between their paycheck and their health to be able to manage that kind of incredible pain," Tlaib said at the press conference.
Ansari, described as the youngest woman in Congress, has connected the legislation to her personal experience. She told Time magazine that she once woke up on the floor of her local bodega, drenched in sweat, being dragged into an ambulance, and that she has days every month when she feels barbed wire inside of her.
The bill was introduced on a Saturday with 28 Democratic cosponsors. No Republican signed on. It has drawn quick criticism from some Republican officials and social media users. Rhode Island state Rep. Marie Hopkins posted on X: "Ladies, you can't keep saying men can be women, but then also say that women are a special category. You've got to pick a lane. You're very confusing to the rest of us."
Some users online raised questions about whether the bill could make employers less likely to hire women. Others questioned whether men would receive equivalent paid leave for prostate issues and testosterone-related conditions, and whether the bill could require employers to pay workers recovering from abortions.
The bill has received endorsements from Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Planned Parenthood Votes vice president of communications Angela Vasquez-Giroux addressed the prospects for passage in comments to Bloomberg. "We've seen overwhelming success from candidates who have a plan and have a point of view," Vasquez-Giroux said.
The legislation faces long odds in the current Congress, where Republicans hold the majority in both chambers.
