House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP are facing backlash after refusing to accommodate pregnant Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who is expecting a child while still fulfilling her duties as a public servant.
As Pettersen neared a point in her pregnancy where flying became impossible, she requested that the House allow her to participate remotely and vote by proxy until after giving birth. This would allow her to continue her work while taking care of her newborn.
However, Speaker Johnson said no. He rejected Pettersen’s request, even though she would become the 14th member of the House to give birth while in office. Johnson’s refusal to grant the request has become a test of his leadership, especially since he leads a party with a slim majority in the House.
Losing even a single vote could cost him dearly, and yet, 16 House members, including eight Republicans, signed a letter urging Johnson to change the House rules and allow remote attendance and proxy voting for new parents.
If this opposition had come solely from Democrats, Johnson may have stood firm. But with half of the signatories being from his own party, he faces a tough decision. It’s worth remembering that when the GOP selected their new speaker, only a handful of Republican members had the power to force a motion to remove the speaker.
As part of his agreement to take the position, Johnson raised the number of members needed to remove a speaker to nine. This means that Johnson cannot afford to lose eight GOP votes, and he now has exactly eight GOP members opposing his decision.
In the first few weeks of his term, Johnson has chosen to pick a fight with a group that includes pregnant women and their supporters. With more votes against him than he can afford to lose, this could be a challenge he can’t win. Some believe Johnson will eventually change his stance and allow remote work and proxy voting for pregnant members. Others think he will try to stall until Pettersen gives birth and the issue becomes moot.
Rep. Pettersen herself argued that allowing new parents to vote remotely would modernize Congress and address significant barriers faced by young parents serving in the House. She stated, “Our government works best when the life experiences of the American people are represented.” Giving parents the ability to work from home while recovering from childbirth is an important step toward making the House more accessible.
In contrast, Speaker Johnson, while expressing empathy for women of “birthing age,” argued that the U.S. Constitution didn’t explicitly allow proxy voting. However, his reasoning falls flat, as the Constitution doesn’t mention many things, like the Air Force or Space Force, yet they exist today. His claim that the Constitution doesn’t support proxy voting seems like a weak argument in this context.
It remains to be seen if the GOP, a party that claims to support working families and basic rights, will continue to deny this accommodation to a pregnant woman. Many believe that they will stall on the issue until it no longer matters.
Either way, it’s disappointing to see that Speaker Johnson and his party aren’t showing the same level of compassion toward new parents that other organizations, like the Air Force, have shown in the past. Will they change their stance? Only time will tell.
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