>Diane wrote:
><<<A year paid maternity leave.........someone must pay for that leave. Who
>whould it be? the employer? The Government(which means you and I)>>>

In the US, we give unlimited "paid" maternity leave--just enough to keep
women poor and hopeless and in despair and never get them back into the
workforce--I'm talking about welfare/Medicaid/etc.  IMHO, the Norwegian
method is more economical to the taxpayer and more respectful of the
mother, and better in the long run for the new generation.  It says there
is a place for the woman in the workplace (if she needs it), but little
babies get their needs met first.

In the years since the UN has been keeping track of infant mortality aged
0-5 years, the Scandinavian countries have maintained their positions at
the top of the list in terms of infant survival, where the US has fallen
year after year.  The last time I checked, we were at 22nd place, about on
par with Eastern Europe.

Families should be counseled not to create more children than they can ever
hope to support, but to deny working class women the chance to have any
children at all simply because there is little chance they will make enough
to support even one child without assistance seems cruel.

Arly in Northern Utah                [log in to unmask]
MS, CLE, IBCLC