In a landmark decision, the Senate has voted to allow new parents to bring babies into the chamber.
The decision comes after one of the representatives for Illinois, Democrat Tammy Duckworth, gave birth to her daughter, becoming the first woman in the nation’s history to give birth while serving in the Senate.
While many senators were supportive of the idea, regardless of party lines, there were also handfuls of older-generation senators who took issue with the proposal.
As the Chicago Tribune reported (with a fair amount of shade, I might add):
Sen. Orrin Hatch, the father of six, grandfather of 14 and great-grandfather of 23, said he had “no problem” with such a rules change. “But what if there are 10 babies on the floor of the Senate?” he asked.
“We could only wish we had 10 babies on the floor. That would be a delight,” retorted [Sen. Amy] Klobuchar, noting that such a conflagration would probably mean more young senators had been elected in a body where the average age of members tops 60.
Some senators were concerned that allowing babies on the floor of the Senate would disrupt “decorum.”
Naturally, Twitter had a field day with Senate’s need for “decorum,” particularly considering the fact that there are already plenty of 70-year-old babies in the Senate as we speak:
One of you fuckers once yelled “you lie” at the President of the United States during his SOTU. Donald Trump is your president.
You can shut your mouths about “decorum.” https://t.co/NDrdkVKzUf
— Celia (@_celia_marie_) April 19, 2018
LOL, “decorum.” https://t.co/CCed9CUMlS
— Sady Doyle (@sadydoyle) April 19, 2018
In a development that will shock no one, the “concerns” over this rule change to allow babies on the Senate floor came mostly from older senators, and mostly from men. https://t.co/OJACBR7n34
— Sarah Lerner (@SarahLerner) April 19, 2018
It feels like men forget that they actually came from a vagina. https://t.co/D7mWOFZTvS
— Tika Sumpter (@iamtikasumpter) April 19, 2018
How many of those older men consider themselves pro-life? https://t.co/ZRaX2JUGGv
— Renee Bracey Sherman (@RBraceySherman) April 19, 2018
Would they even notice one more baby in the Senate? https://t.co/IGzT4m8vOr
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) April 19, 2018
This change will allow new mothers in the Senate to participate in voting, which the Senate requires to take place in-person. And, while some of the men in the Senate seem to feel slightly uncomfortable about diaper changes and nursing, they’re just going to have to get over that — because the benefits of making it easier for working moms to do their jobs are innumerable.