Sen. Tammy Duckworth has just blazed one more trail: She's the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office.
With the arrival of a baby girl named Maile, Duckworth becomes one of just 10 women to give birth while serving in Congress. Duckworth, 50, had her first child in 2014, while she was a member of the House of Representatives. The senator lost both of her legs in the Iraq War.
"Parenthood isn't just a women's issue, it's an economic issue and one that affects all parents — men and women alike," Duckworth said in a statement announcing the birth. "As tough as juggling the demands of motherhood and being a Senator can be, I'm hardly alone or unique as a working parent, and my children only make me more committed to doing my job and standing up for hardworking families everywhere."
The Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet notes that since the Illinois Democrat had her first daughter Abigail,
"Duckworth has authored measures to make sure major airports offer places for breastfeeding mothers to pump milk; the military creates a uniform policy for giving personnel time to bond with their newborn and adopted babies; and to make sure student parents have on-campus child care."She also is a sponsor or co-sponsor of bills dealing with affordable child care, paid parental leave and other infant and maternal health issues."
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