House Speaker Mike Johnson blocked an effort by his fellow Republicans to allow a woman in Congress who had just given birth to vote by proxy. It’s a way for women to recover from childbirth and bond with their children while giving voters a voice.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Democratic Rep. Sarah Jacobs of California Bill submitted in January that tried to allow Members of Congress who have given birth will vote remotely for six weeks after giving birth.
The bill includes 34 co-sponsorsThey include men on the right wing of the Republican Party, including Representatives James Comer of Kentucky and Tim Burchett of Tennessee.
But Luna said Wednesday that Johnson told her he did not intend to put the bill up for a vote.
I’m writing to X, Luna. answered:
I’m not pregnant, but there are women in Congress who are told they don’t have the right to vote and are pressured not to have children. This is based on many conversations I have had with our female members and even young fathers on both sides of the island. [sic].
This is not only anti-family, but also a slap in the face to the hundreds of thousands of voters who send their representatives to D.C.
Women should not have to choose between representing their constituents and having children. Until Congress embraces changes that reflect American family values, there will be no true representation in Washington, DC.
In 2023, Luna will be She is the 12th woman in American history to give birth while serving in Congress.. After giving birth, she suffered complications that caused her to miss dozens of House votes, CBS News reported.
It is unclear why Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not allow MPs who have given birth to vote by proxy. he didn’t do that Respond to requests for comments From Politico on this issue.
Johnson boasts that he is “.parent familyRepublican Party. But his decision not to allow members to vote by proxy after giving birth is a clearly anti-family move.
Of course, there are far more Democratic women in Congress than Republicans. In the current House of Representatives, There are 93 Democratic women and only 34 Republican women.. And one of the members of Congress that we know is Currently pregnantColorado Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen is a Democrat. Perhaps Johnson believes proxy voting will help Democrats more than Republicans.
But don’t worry. johnson Announced He announced Wednesday that women’s restrooms in Parliament House will only be available for use by women assigned female at birth. The policy appears to be enforceable only by forcing people to expose their genitals or submit blood tests.
After all, there is precedent for proxy voting.
Democrats have allowed members of Congress to vote by proxy during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Republicans disliked this practice. Voting rights exercise has ended When we regain the majority in 2023.
Luna said in September that she would not vote for a speaker who would prevent women who have just given birth from voting by proxy.
“You can’t fake your pregnancy. After giving birth, you will literally, and in some cases medically, be unable to travel,” Luna says. said Bloomberg News. “If they want my vote, they have to allow women to vote,” she added of potential speaker candidates.
This could pose a problem for Johnson. Mr Johnson will have one of the narrowest House of Commons majorities in history when the new parliament is sworn in next January.
Leave it to the Republicans to screw over women and make their lives difficult.
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