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WHEREAS, Allegheny County is considering a paid parental leave proposal as a public health measure to address the serious problems facing infant and maternal health in the County; and,
WHEREAS, Allegheny County has higher rates of infant mortality, preterm birth, and low birth weight than the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a whole; and,
WHEREAS, severe maternal morbidity, meaning unexpected and serious complications from giving birth, rose by 55 percent in Allegheny County between 2016 and 2022; and,
WHEREAS, these outcomes reflect alarming racial and economic disparities, where statewide, Black mothers experience severe maternal morbidity at more than twice the rate of white mothers, and in Allegheny County, Black infants are more than twice as likely to die as white infants; and,
WHEREAS, lower-wage workers and workers of color are less likely to have access to paid leave, and expanding that access would help close these health disparities; and,
WHEREAS, paid parental leave helps reduce infant and maternal deaths, supports bonding between parents and newborns, increases breastfeeding rates, and improves physical and mental health outcomes for new parents and their children; and,
WHEREAS, paid parental leave supports disease prevention by allowing parents to care for infants at home rather than placing them in group childcare before they receive their first routine vaccinations at approximately two months of age, reducing exposure to infectious disease during a particularly sensitive stage of development; and,
WHEREAS, since the proposal was introduced in May, more than 1,500 public comments have been submitted to the Board of Health, the overwhelming majority in support, with many families sharing how the lack of paid parental leave has affected them; and,
WHEREAS, paid parental leave legislation has lain dormant in the Pennsylvania General Assembly for a decade, and working families cannot afford to wait any longer; and,
WHEREAS, by enacting paid...
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