An MP Says She Is Being Forced To Choose Between Her Career And Motherhood And That's Not OK
A pregnant female politician has derided the parliamentary decision not to recognise maternity leave and pay, saying she is consequently forced to choose between her personal and professional life.
Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, wrote in The Guardian of her previous experiences of pregnancy and fertility struggles and how provisions for this were most certainly not made in her workplace of parliament.
Creasy describes having to join an important protest 'aching and bleeding' after her first miscarriage. After a second, had to ensure an operation - needed after her baby's heart stopped beating - was scheduled on a day she didn't have to hold constituency surgery hours.
'Now I'm pregnant once more and terrified - not just that it will go wrong again, but because I know that my resolve to keep my private and professional lives separate has become impossible,' she writes.
In her article, Creasy laments the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA)'s - the body that regulates MPs - which does not 'recognise' that MPs go on maternity leave so also does not provide maternity cover for MPs' duties, such as casework.
'Humiliatingly, it [IPSA] is making me beg for extra staff funding - or give up any chance of spending time with my child to make sure my constituents don't miss out,' she continues. 'If a GP or vicar were on leave, a locum would be provided to ensure continuity of community services. In Denmark a member of the national parliament would have a substitute MP appointed.'
Creasy stressed that this experience was not unique to her, bringing up the case of colleague Tulip Suddiq who was forced to delay a caesarean procedure so she could vote on Brexit in the House of Commons earlier this year.
Following Creasy's piece and her declaration to fight IPSA on the issue of maternity leave, she was praised by politicians from both hers and opposing parties, including Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson who last year brought along her baby to vote in the Commons.
As a friend this is hard to read in part, but I couldn't be prouder of Stella for facing down the use of fertility and motherhood to define and control our politics. https://t.co/rdACuJU7vq
- Jess Phillips (@jessphillips) June 17, 2019
Solidarity with @stellacreasy. We cannot be a modern, effective or representative Parliament when the need for maternity cover is not recognised. Nor can we lecture firms on non-discrimination if we practice it ourselves. Time to get closer to 21st century. https://t.co/3pRwJn9C4c
- Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) June 17, 2019
Fearless and formidable as ever, @stellacreasy!
I don't fancy IPSA's chances defending their outdated position against your campaigning force. Let's get this changed!
(and congratulations! 💕) https://t.co/Eg96Fk00CI- Jo Swinson (@joswinson) June 17, 2019
.@stellacreasy Congratulations on your exciting news. I completely agree that we must strive to ensure Parliament is an inclusive workplace. It shouldn’t be more difficult to be a female MP than a male MP https://t.co/KiimLL9JHh
- Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) June 18, 2019
'No community should miss out on representation because its MP is pregnant - nor should my opponents be able to argue there's a cost to my constituents because I may success in my quest to conceive,' Creasy rightly said.
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