New mothers across the country still do not have mandatory maternity leave. Many go unpaid, recovering from childbirth, or are forced to return far sooner than they should. The fight for mandatory maternity leave is persistent, but Republican senators in Alabama just killed a bill to provide maternity leave to teachers. Currently, Alabama educators must build up sick leave or take unpaid leave to care for a new child and recover. Sign the petition for mandatory maternity leave. “Paid parental leave can reduce financial stress, allow parents to focus on bonding with their child, and increase gender equality when fathers have more time to participate in child care duties,” said psychologist Ashley Schappell D’Inverno, a behavioral scientist in the Division of Violence Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “All of these positive effects trickle down to benefit the child and family as a whole,” she added. Sign the petition today for mandatory maternity leave for new parents.