Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is blasting senate rules that force her to give up her right to vote if she takes paid maternity leave, reports Vox.
Duckworth, who turns 50 March 12, is the first sitting senator to be pregnant while holding office. She is due to give birth in April.
She is currently working with Democratic leadership to try to change the rules.
“You’re not allowed to bring children onto the floor of the Senate at all, so if I have to vote and I’m breastfeeding my child, what do I do, leave her sitting outside?” said Duckworth.
A petition on We Are Ultraviolet supporting Duckworth’s efforts have generated 55,000 signatures so far.
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“I feel like the Senate is actually in the 19th century as opposed to the 21st somehow and that’s really unfortunate,” she said to the Guardian.
“It’s a reflection of a real need for more women in leadership across our country, whether it’s legislatively or in boardrooms or the military.”
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