OPINION

Paid family and medical leave will benefit all Oregon families

Grayson Dempsey
Guest column
Grayson Dempsey

As a mother of two young children and longtime advocate for reproductive rights, I know the fight for reproductive equity isn’t just about ensuring that people can prevent unintended pregnancy and access safe and legal abortion services.

It’s also about ensuring all Oregonians, regardless of gender, can welcome a new child into their family or help a family member get critical medical care without jeopardizing their financial stability.

And I'm not alone: Many of us are beginning to recognize paid family and medical leave as a cornerstone of reproductive justice policy — including Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.

As we heard in her recent State of the State address, Oregon families are often forced to choose between caring for the families they love and the jobs they need. They’re choosing between bonding with a newborn or paying their rent, and making decisions about when and if to have children based on where they work.

Hardworking Oregonians agree: Caring for our families is important work and becoming a parent shouldn’t mean losing a paycheck or a job. I’m proud to live in a state that resoundingly agrees, as demonstrated with the defeat of 2018’s Measure 106, that everyone should be able to decide if and when to start a family. And I’m encouraged that the conversation about reproductive justice now includes paid family and medical leave.

In Oregon's 2019 Legislative session, the Time to Care Oregon coalition is proposing a paid family and medical leave policy that would allow workers to attend to their own or a family member’s serious health condition without losing pay. It would also allow working people in Oregon to take additional paid leave to welcome a new child, whether post-pregnancy, surrogacy, adoption, or fostering, recognizing that families need a meaningful amount of time to bond during this period — without worrying about their finances.

We should work to ensure that nearly all Oregon employees will have access to the program. It must also respect the different types of families that make Oregon a great place to live. No matter your gender identity, your family structure, if you are married or whom you are married to, this law should make it possible for all working people to care for those they love.

Passing a paid family and medical leave policy is an overdue step in the right direction, for Oregonians and the nation as a whole. We are one of only two countries with zero weeks of paid leave. We can, and must, do better.

We should all have the right to make our own decisions about if and when to start a family. If you agree it's time that the fight for reproductive equity includes the right to care for our families, call your Oregon state representative and ask what will they do to fight for families this session?

Is passing a universal paid family and medical leave law a top priority? Let them know it’s time we recognize that reproductive justice is economic justice.

Grayson Dempsey is the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon (formerly known as the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League). Reach her at info@prochoiceoregon.org.