Actually it's not called maternity leave anymore..it's called "Family and Medical leave" and it no longer applies only to maternity. Fathers can take it up to six weeks, and any employee in the US can take if for a variety of reasons...to care for an elderly parent, spouse, etc.
I wasn't a big fan of it and lobbied against it before it passed, simply because I thought that it was bad for business. The Democrat controlled House and Senate passed it anyway so now it's the law.
I suppose that people could refuse to accept the money for time away from work....to each his/her own according to their own conscience.
I own my own business so it doesn't really apply to me.
Yeah, but that's unpaid leave. And if it applies to everyone then it's fair. I'm all for it. I'm talking about people who know darn well they're not coming back to work -- but still take the money anyway. That's completely unfair to the employer. Paid maternity leave is not a right -- the employer puts the policy in place to hold onto valued employees. These people are not keeping their end of the bargain and it stinks.