Opinions/Debate/Ideas: Should a compulsory three months paid maternity leave be granted to working moms?

YES: I agree that all working moms should have a compulsory three months paid maternity leave, because mothers need to spend as much time as possible with their newborns. Working moms should have three months paid leave, because I believe it is imperative that the mother spend as much time as possible with a newborn baby, to form the bond that will last their entire lives. Many other countries in the developed world provide this benefit for their employees, male and female. In some cases, the mother may not have physically recovered from the birth process before that time is up. Working mothers need at least that long to recover and bond with their babies, before returning to the workforce.

NO: I do not believe that three months of paid maternity leave should be granted to all working moms since they are committed to their jobs on terms that are separate from personal choices like pregnancy. Though I think having some maternity leave is important, I believe having three months of paid compulsory maternity leave is an excessive amount to expect businesses to pay. Such a stipulation would only bias companies against working mothers since they are already slowed down in the later terms of their pregnancy but are not working for less compensation during those times; to expect a business to also pay them for three months of leave when their pregnancy is a personal choice would only cause companies to put a hiring freeze on pregnant women.

What's your opinion?