Cover story: Adoptions are afterthought of parental leave

As the story of one UUP member illustrates, adoptive parents quickly discover that many of the considerations extended to the birth parents of newborns don’t apply to them. Yes, adoptive parents can use creativity and perseverance to wrangle time off for their new child, but doing so requires extra effort.

In the case of this member — who asked that her name not be used — she and her husband alternated working half-weeks during the first month their child was home.

“It gets to be a little bit stressful, to say the least,” the member said. “Just as people give birth to babies, and they’re given maternity leave, it would be nice to know that you can adopt and also have leave. It would be better than this back and forth: ‘You have the baby today and I have the baby tomorrow.’”

UUP members who have just given birth can use their own sick time to be home with their newborns, but that policy does not apply to adoptive mothers.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 does include adoptions in the categories covered for leave. But the act does not mandate paid leave and, as the member who described her adoption noted, extensive time off without pay is not an option for many people.

In looking back, the UUPer said she’s grateful that she was able to take the time off, even though it required flexibility and the cooperation of her husband. But she wishes there had been an easier way to welcome her child.

“I’d just like to see better choices for adoptive parents,” she said.

— Darryl McGrath