Image: Romolo Tavani/Adobe Stock

Imagine you finally arrive home, cradling your precious three-day-old infant, peacefully slumbering on your chest. This is your little miracle, for whom you endured the emotional and financial rollercoaster of in vitro fertilization, a costly out-of-pocket expense of $30,000 that your employer didn't cover. The same little one for whom you braved a grueling 41-hour labor, followed by an excruciating four hours of pushing, only to end up in an emergency c-section. The birth was so painful and traumatic that it has left you unable to sit up comfortably or even use the restroom normally. To make matters worse, your company's policy doesn't cover paternal leave, meaning you only get three weeks of unpaid leave that started ticking the moment you went into labor. And to top it all off, your baby is too young to be enrolled in daycare. Your infant is craving the constant comfort and presence of their mother, which is unfortunately not a feasible reality with your return to work looming in a couple of weeks.

This isn't just a hypothetical story; it's my personal experience. It's also the reality for thousands of parents across the United States, who are forced to separate from their newborns after just a few weeks. Meanwhile, in many states, it's illegal to separate puppies from their mothers before they reach eight weeks of age. Take a moment to let that sink in. Our laws demonstrate more concern for animals than they do for human beings.