Sorry Colorado media, but state Sen. Brittany Pettersen did not make history by becoming the first state lawmaker to give birth during the course of a legislative session.
That honor went to former state Sen. Barbara Holme back in 1981, who gave birth to a son in the last few days of the session.
Holme missed a few days of votes, but was back at work in two weeks to vote during a special session, KDVR reports.
Pettersen gave birth to Davis James Silverii Sunday morning.
Mommy shaming media accounts reveal Pettersen will take an entire month of family leave, leaving the Democrat-controlled Senate vulnerable to legislative wins by Republicans.
Democrats hold a narrow 19-16 majority in the Senate, which means they’ll have to delay votes if they lose any other Democrat for a bill that doesn’t have Republican support.
The red flag gun control bill, a bill allowing Lt Gov. Diane Primavera to serve as the head of the Office of Saving People Money on Healthcare, an election code reform bill and one about electric vehicles all passed through the Senate with 18 Democratic votes last session. Pettersen voted yes on all four.
Democrats and the media are also exploiting Pettersen’s mommyhood to emotionally blackmail taxpayers into paying for all that family leave for future state lawmakers.
Lawmakers are only in session for 120 days, that’s approximately four months a year, give or take several holidays.
Worst of all, the Denver Post presumed women can’t hold positions of power like men do in the legislature, because women have babies. Whereas men just have heart attacks or strokes, which we are to presume never forces them to miss a day or month of work.
Pettersen will be the guinea pig for what maternity leave looks like at the Colorado legislature. What she and Democratic leadership decide about whether she chairs a committee or sponsors certain high-profile bills will set a course for the women who come after her.