New York governor pushes for paid medical leave during pregnancy
ABC News
Pregnant people in New York would have 40 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments under a new proposal by Gov. Kathy Hochul
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Pregnant people in New York would have 40 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments under a new proposal by Gov. Kathy Hochul after the state's legislative session kicked off this week.
The Democrat’s plan to expand the state's paid family leave policy, which would need to be approved by the state Legislature, aims to expand access to high-quality prenatal care and prevent maternal and infant deaths in New York, an issue that especially affects low-income and minority communities.
The U.S. infant mortality rate, a measure of how many babies die before they reach their first birthday, is worse than other high-income countries, which experts have attributed to poverty, inadequate prenatal care and other possibilities. The U.S. rate rose 3% in 2022 — the largest increase in two decades, according to a 2023 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We hope what we're doing in New York will raise the bar for the rest of the nation,” Hochul said Thursday at an event at a hospital in Brooklyn. “Consistent medical care in the early months makes all the difference.”
New York's paid family leave policy currently only applies after a baby is born. If approved, New York would be the first to establish statewide coverage for prenatal care, the governor noted.
