A bipartisan effort to allow new mothers to vote by proxy after giving birth is highlighting the unique challenges congresswomen face when comparing motherhood to the House chamber’s archaic rules.
After experiencing significant complications giving birth to her son in August, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) became frustrated with the lack of any mechanism to vote on behalf of her constituents. She joined Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) topresent a bipartisan proposal to fix this: The resolution would change House rules to allow members, for six weeks after giving birth, to vote by proxy.
The proposal is much narrower than most Democrats would like — notably excluding parents and adoptive parents — but with Republicans holding such a slim majority in the House, Luna wanted to make it difficult for either party to oppose it.
“I think both parties should support him,” Luna said in a recent interview.
“If you’re hearing opposition to this, I think it’s bipartisan hypocrisy,” she continued, “especially because you have the Republican body that stands for the values of family and being a mother, and then you actually have the Democrats who stand for women in the workforce and women’s rights, and this is something that, I think, for members of Congress, embodies both.”
Proxy voting never existed on the House floor before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has become a useful tool to prevent a broader outbreak on Capitol Hill. Over time, some began to criticize the practice of proxy voting, especially when members were seen at the airport trying to leave the city early or campaigning when the House was still voting.
When Republicans won back the House, they eliminated proxy voting entirely in their rules package, but there has been some discussion among smaller groups in both parties about the possibility of bringing it back in some form.
“The pandemic has shown us how to adapt and that some of these adaptations are possible, in a way that I think a lot of people didn’t believe they were before,” Jacobs said in an interview with The Hill. “And, you know, while some people misused proxy voting, I think there were many others who used it as intended, to protect their health and the health of all of us.”
Because newly elected members of Congress “tend to be younger and from different backgrounds than Congress has historically had,” Jacobs said, “there’s a desire to see some of these antiquated rules updated in line with what families and modern workplaces.”
When Luna approached Jacobs about a possible attempt at proxy voting, Jacobs said it was a “no-brainer” to support his proposal. The Democrat spoke openly about her decision to freeze her eggs for when she is ready to get pregnant. She said that “even with all the pills and hormone injections, doctor appointments and recovery from the procedure, all of this was still easier to do than having a baby.”
In recent weeks, Luna has redoubled his efforts to bring this resolution to the House plenary. She told The Hill that she spoke with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) about the proposal a few weeks ago and hoped to hear from him soon.
Only 13 congresswomen have given birth while in office, including two last year: Luna had her son in August 2023, and Del. Jenniffer González-Colón (R), the non-voting member from Puerto Rico, had twins in February 2024 .
Both Republican congresswomen faced difficult recovery processes.
Luna had pre-eclampsia, which she said can sometimes be a “silent killer of pregnant women.” And during labor, she said, her high blood pressure could have caused cardiac arrest. She also got an infection and was bedridden for a month.
“There are so many things our bodies go through after giving birth, and I don’t think the Founding Fathers predicted that women would hold public office, so we have to make the necessary changes,” she said.
“I don’t want my voters to think I can’t work because I’m pregnant. But I also think that the House of Representatives, if we want to be representative of what the American people are – which is young families, working parents – that there have to be these necessary changes,” Luna said.
“So we need to keep up with the times. It’s simply unacceptable that this hasn’t been done sooner.”
At age 47, González-Colón’s pregnancy was considered high risk. She had to induce labor at 35 weeks due to high blood pressure, and the twins were in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 16 days, she said. The congresswoman said her high blood pressure continues to prevent her from flying.
González-Colón and Luna said these lived experiences reflect what many of their constituents face after giving birth, which the congresswomen say helps them better represent their voices.
“The reality is that only 13 women in the history of the US Congress have given speeches while in the House. This sends a message that this is not allowed, that the House and Senate are not authorized for women to actually manage or maintain their families.” González-Colón said.
“And I believe that we should represent our families in Congress, we should represent the voices of women who are pregnant, who are having children, because we can actually represent more of our communities, our districts and the issues that exist.”
González-Colón is authorized to vote in specific circumstances, including on committees. She is also the sole representative of all of Puerto Rico, which as an island of 3.2 million people is the largest congressional district. She said she still participates in video conferences and remote meetings and works from her district office in Puerto Rico.
González-Colón’s biggest frustration with the absence of proxy voting has to do with representation, saying it is “taking away the voice of the people we represent, and who we proudly represent.”
“We should not be in the position of choosing between family and our people, family and our voice to represent our voters. Because these two things must be compatible,” she said.
By not adopting proxy voting for new mothers, she said Congress runs the risk of alienating women from running for public office, forcing them to “choose between being a wife, between being a mother or going into politics.”
Looking ahead to the coming months, the fate of proxy voting largely depends on which party wins the House majority in the November elections. That party would approve a rules package in January 2025, almost certainly on a party-line vote, and specify whether or not – and under what circumstances – proxy voting would be permitted or not.
Democrats, many of whom are optimistic they will flip the House in November, have broader aspirations for proxy voting subsidies.
Jacobs is a co-sponsor ofan amendmentwhich would allow proxy voting in circumstances “due to a serious medical condition, including any condition related to pregnancy, or if they are the primary caregiver for a spouse or dependent with a serious medical condition, if a doctor has recommended that they not travel” . “
“So I know there’s an appetite and those conversations are ongoing,” Jacobs continued. “I’m not sure, given the current makeup of Congressional leadership right now, that it will necessarily be this term.”
Luna, however, is committed to seeing a rules change passed under GOP leadership, noting that Congress has consistently had a slim majority in recent years — even with Democrats in charge.
Luna recalled that at one point, about three weeks after giving birth, she received a call from a fellow Republican asking for her help — while she was still under doctors’ orders not to fly.
“I felt like I needed to come back here,” Luna said.
“Some members left and were one vote away from not being able to pass some legislation, so they called me to see if I could fly,” Luna said. “And then I was packing my bomb and literally was on my way to the airport, and then they found a member who had shown up.”
Luna noted that the challenges of motherhood for those serving in Congress are unlikely to go away anytime soon.
“Some of the younger members of Congress have told me that they are trying to have children now,” she said. “So, I know I won’t be the only one, so if I can champion this cause, it’s very sad that more members, especially women, don’t speak out even though they support it because they are afraid of the backlash.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
