Hochul proposes new plan offering paid family leave during pregnancy 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) revealed a proposal Thursday that would include paid family leave during pregnancy.

“We think that we should be able to take care of expectant moms before the baby’s born,” Hochul said at an event Thursday. “And we think that they should have time off, so everything’s about to change.”

“Today I’m announcing, the state of New York will be the first state in the nation to offer paid family leave for prenatal care,” Hochul continued.

According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S.’s infant mortality rate went up for the first time in 20 years last year. 

“The infant mortality rate for the United States rose 3% from 2021 to 2022, the first year-to-year increase in the rate since 2001 to 2002,” the agency’s report stated. “From 2002 to 2021, the infant mortality rate declined 22%.”

Two of the 10 leading causes of infant death, maternal complications of pregnancy and bacterial sepsis of newborns, rose notably last year, but the top cause of infant death in 2022 was congenital malformations. Four states — Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas — saw notable increases in infant mortality rates in 2022.

The U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate compared with other developed nations. Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development placed the U.S. among the top 10 highest in the 38 member states, over Canada, Japan and South Korea.