As the first Thai-American woman to serve in the U.S. Senate and a double amputee who served as a helicopter pilot in the Iraq War, we didn’t think Sen. Tammy Duckworth could possibly be any more boundary-breaking — until she announced that she’s about to become the first senator to give birth while in office.
On Tuesday, the Democratic senator from Illinois told the Chicago Tribune that she and her husband Bryan are expecting their second child, due in late April — making her the first senator to ever give birth while in office and only one of 10 women to give birth while in congress.
Duckworth already has a 3-year-old daughter named Abigail, and she’s made it clear that being a working mother has given her the perspective that most senators (read: typically older white males), don’t have.
“Bryan and I are thrilled that our family is getting a little bit bigger, and Abigail is ecstatic to welcome her baby sister home this spring,” Duckworth said in a statement. “As tough as juggling the demands of motherhood and being a Senator can be, I’m hardly alone or unique as a working parent, and Abigail has only made me more committed to doing my job and standing up for hardworking families everywhere.”
In her interview with the Tribune Duckworth also opened up with her and her husband’s struggle to conceive through IVF, as well as the fact that she endured a miscarriage while she was campaigning for her senate seat back in 2016. Since being elected to office, she’s sponsored bills for affordable child care and paid parental leave, and even spearheaded a bill to make sure airports offer private areas for mothers to breastfeed and pump.
As one of only 22 women in the senate, Duckworth is the perspective and voice we *need* under the current administration. Huge congratulations to Sen. Duckworth and her family!