Abby McCloskey, Forbes.com, January 27, 2015

"The government should not be in the business of telling companies what level of pay and benefits to provide. Because the level of skill, time worked at a company, a company’s tight budget, or various other reasons, it may be infeasible for a company to offer pay or time off for an extended period of time without receiving something in return. This is why government mandates tend to be accompanied by folks losing their jobs or receiving lower wages, especially those who are low-skilled.

If Americans believe that paid maternity leave is a public good – a point open for debate – then it should be structured as a public benefit."