Being Pregnant

Is Everyone Entitled to Maternity Leave, Or Just Megyn Kelly? See Jon Stewart’s Response [VIDEO]

Posted by meredith carroll on August 12th, 2011 at 10:55 am
Picture 11 300x210 Is Everyone Entitled to Maternity Leave, Or Just Megyn Kelly? See Jon Stewart’s Response [VIDEO]

Is Megn Kelly suffering from 'postpartum compassion?'

Maternity leave is a touchy subject. Some workplaces allow women lots of it. Some allow next to nothing. Some women wish they had more. Others don’t use what they get. But ask a pregnant woman how they feel about maternity leave, and most will tell you they are entitled to it.

Fox News’ Megyn Kelly is no exception. She recently returned from a 3-month leave to bond with her new baby, and took to the air to blast radio host Mike Gallagher for calling her maternity leave a “racket” while she was away.

The problem is that in the past Megyn Kelly has decried such workers’ rights as maternity leave, saying that being entitled to paid leave is the hallmark of socialism. So leave it to Jon Stewart and The Daily Show to call her out on being a hypocrite, with Stewart saying, “They’re really only entitlements when they’re something other people want. When it’s something you want, they’re a hallmark of a civilized society.”

Take a look at the video and see if you think Megyn Kelly is, indeed, suffering from “postpartum compassion,” as Jon Stewart suggests:

Image + Video: The Daily Show

Did you know Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee, along with Dino Dan‘s Allana Harkin, have a new blog on Babble? Check it out here!

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Is Everyone Entitled to Maternity Leave, Or Just Megyn Kelly? See Jon Stewart’s Response [VIDEO]
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4 Comments

Love when Jon takes the Fox News hypocrites to task. I work at an office where one of the lawyers is taking 12 weeks of maternity leave and I (lowly legal assistant) only get four weeks paid leave. I wish this country cared a little more about the health and well being of all of its women.

Liz commented on Aug 12 11 at 12:52 pm

I get no paid leave – but my boss is a nice guy, so he’s giving me two weeks paid and two weeks of work-at-home! I wish I could get 4 weeks paid!

leah commented on Aug 12 11 at 3:04 pm

Thanks for bringing politics into a pregnancy blog. In all likelihood, Megyn was referring to year long paid maternity leave that Europeans get to take, and the European system in general is far more socialist than the United States. Don’t worry Meredith, if we continue on the path we are now, you’ll get your year long paid leave.

katrina commented on Aug 14 11 at 8:31 am

Katrina, maybe you should educate yourself about the maternity allowance for “Europeans” before making blanket statements.

Yes, in some European countries (they all have their different rules, ya know) you can take a year off and can return to your old (or equivalent) job unless there has been some dramatic re-org. In some countries you will get x% of your salary for y months, a payment which then decreases to a statutory amount and towards the end of your maternity leave you get nada. You don’t generally get a year’s worth of fully paid leave everywhere in the EU. That’s a myth.

The mother certainly doesn’t get enough to afford a lavish lifestyle unless her partner earns a good salary. But at least it enables mothers to spend time at home in those crucial early months if they choose to. They have a choice.

Sandra commented on Aug 22 11 at 7:34 am

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