Kathleen Hanna, Milla Jovovich and Others Take on Paid Family Leave in Risque PSA [WATCH]

Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, Jemima Kirke of Girls, Milla Jovovich, Maggie Gyllenhaal and a number of other celebrity artists, bloggers and activists assert that they will do anything for nationally guaranteed paid family leave--even "blow the entire Senate"--in a PSA released just before the holidays by the advocacy group American Women. The video produced by Sarah Sophie Flicker encourages women and men alike to raise their voices and demand US politicians pass comprehensive legislation addressing this issue.

Jovovich sets the tone for the risque yet powerful PSA with the pointed question: "Did you know that the U.S. is the only developed nation in the entire world that doesn't offer paid family leave?" For those who weren't already aware that, as Flavorwire reports, 1 in 4 employed American mothers go back to work a mere two weeks after childbirth, the video's star-studded cast catches viewers up to speed by sharing the sobering statistics in-between joking about performing sexual favors for Republican and Democratic elected officials and presidential candidates alike.

As Glamour reports, the current law, which is called the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), only ensures 12 weeks of unpaid leave for employees who have worked at a particular job for at least a full year for at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months and at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within a 75 mile range. According to American Women, FMLA currently leaves out 40 percent of American workers and only 13 percent of workers have access to paid family leave through their employers.

The result of this status quo is that many Americans are forced to choose between taking care of one's kids and being able to afford them. This is not a choice that parents in any other country with a major economy in the world are forced to make. To put things further into perspective, as Refinery 29 points out, other countries including civil war-torn Yemen guarantee paid time off for parents to bond with their newborn children.

Because this issue moves far beyond feminism and affects all American parents, the PSA features men--including Orange is the New Black's Nick Sandow and Malik Yoba of Empire --fighting for these rights alongside women. Watch the full video below.

Tags

Girls, Empire, Orange is the New Black