User:Carlmo1357/Mothers' rights

Mother's rights are the legal obligations for expecting mothers, existing mothers, and adoptive mothers. The extent of which mothers have certain rights vary across different cultures and countries and their status as a mother. Issues that involve mothers' rights include, but not limited in, labor rights, breast feeding, and family rights.

Labor rights[edit]
Labor rights for mothers consist of maternal leave during the various stages of pregnancy as well as the period of time following labor. This also includes work procedures for new mothers returning to their workplace after giving birth. The time women are allowed to take off for childbirth is referred to as maternity leave. In the United States Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) has set laws for companies across the board setting the minimum requirements for maternity leave. The regulations set by FMLA apply to mothers, fathers, and adoptive parents. The act requires most companies to allow up to 12 weeks of non-paid family leave, only if the company has 50 or more workers. There are varying laws regarding the allotted time allowed off for family leave including stipulations for other support given to new mothers. These laws are different depending on location and can vary by country, state, and even by company. According to the International Labor Organization, "more than 120 countries provide paid maternity leave". The United States, Australia and New Zealand are not one of these countries. Furthermore, there are also several specific rules and regulations regarding available maternity leave. For example, in Ireland and the United Kingdom mothers have to notify companies about their pregnancy or risk losing associated maternity leave or health benefits. Other countries like Bahamas or Tanzania are allowed maternity leave once every three years. There are also differences and specific situations across the world regarding cash benefits with maternity leave. Things taken into consideration due to employment laws are things like how long individuals work at a company and may not qualify for benefits based on length of employment or number of employers. For example, countries like Tunisia, Bahamas or Portugal have equal protections whether self-employed or company employed. On the other hand, some European countries have cut back on maternity benefits due to economic restriction. Therefore, there are several areas progressing mothers labor rights while other areas continue progressing towards equal protection for mothers.

Breast feeding[edit]
Breast feeding is the act of supplying nutrients to an infant with human breast milk by means of breast or bottle. There are specific laws in place in each state regarding breast feeding as well as federal laws. Every state except for Idaho has a law that allows women to breast-feed in any public or private location. Although the majority of states allow breast feeding anywhere, only 29 states exempt breast feeding from public indecency laws, meaning the exposure of nudity in public. The federal laws concerning breast feeding mothers relate to working mothers. Once mothers return to work there are laws set in place for nursing mothers while they are at work. Employers are required to allow these mothers reasonable amount of time when they need to discard their milk supply. This requirement is established for up to a year after mothers have given birth. They are also required to provide a private and secluded place, other than a restroom, for these mothers to discard their milk supply. These laws can be found in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. There are also several differences in mothers' rights regarding breast feeding around the world. According to the International Labor organization nearly a quarter of all countries do not provide breastfeeding breaks especially in Asia, Latin America, and Caribbean. There have been some countries that have opted to provide breastfeeding breaks and lactation rooms and studies demonstrated higher retention rates in employment of mothers in the world.

Family rights for mothers[edit]
Mother's have many rights that relate to family law. Some of these rights including making medical decisions on behalf of their children or deciding who is allowed around their child. Mother's also have the legal right to pursue their child's father for child support.

Parental Rights[edit]
Each state has their own specific laws regarding a mother's legal rights and responsibility to her child. All legal statutes declare that the mother or parents are allowed to make the decisions regarding a child's education, religion, medical care, and deciding where the child will live. A biological mother, fathers married to the mother before or after the child's birth, and as of 2003, fathers on their child's birth certificate are automatically given this legal right for their child.

Child Custody and Support[edit]
Although a mother has certain custody rights when there is a battle for custody it is still the court's responsibility to choose the best circumstance for the child.