MONTREAL, March 30 (UPI) -- For each additional month a woman has paid maternity leave, infant mortality decreases by more than 10 percent, according to a new study of births in 20 countries.

Researchers at McGill University and the University of California Los Angeles found paid maternity leave has a significant impact on infant mortality in low- and high-income countries, echoing previous research that has shown the same.

Paid maternity leave reduces stress, increases the chances for breastfeeding and other infant care, and allows a mother to seek more medical attention for herself after having a baby.

Although 188 countries have guaranteed paid leave for new mothers, though how much varies greatly from country to country -- in Canada and some European countries, women get one year of paid time off, while countries such as Papua New Guinea, Suriname and the United States have no guaranteed paid maternity leave.

"While this study focuses on low- and middle-income countries, the impact in high-income countries is also well demonstrated," Dr. Jody Heymann, a former researcher at McGill and dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California Los Angeles, in a press release. "For the health of our children and the well-being of families, the U.S. needs to catch up with most of the world and ensure all new parents have paid parental leave."

There's an old saying that goes, "No man is an island." It means that we can't go through life by ourselves; even the strongest man and the most independent woman need the support of their family and friends every once in a while. Our friends are the ones who stick with us no matter what and will always be there to lend a hand when we need it. No one knows that lesson better than Kevan Chandler.

Kevan is a young man from Florida with a very adventurous spirit. He also suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, from which he lost the use of his limbs. Though his physical health might have faded, his love for life and exploration never did. Kevan dreamed of backpacking through Europe, but because of his disability, he never thought it was possible. But, little did he know, his friends were planning a big surprise.

Kevan's three best friends got together and figured out a remarkable and incredibly moving way to move their friend through the European countryside. Scroll down to learn more about their incredible journey.
This is Kevan, who lives confined to a wheelchair because of muscular atrophy. He dreamed of backpacking through Europe but knew he couldn't do it in a wheelchair - so his friends came up with a plan.

When it launched in 2014, “new media” outlet Vox prided itself on having an analysis-driven approach, “explaining” the news to its readers in a clear and concise way. A rhetorical tic appearing in much of their reporting, however, belies those noble motives: the reliance on phantom economic and expert consensus.

Given that Vox does little original reporting, much of their selling point is quick, easy-to-understand analysis. A meaningful amount of this analysis, however, pivots on the toxic cliche, “most economists agree/think/say/believe,” and its equally toxic cousin, “most experts agree/think/say/believe.” This cliche is frequently used without a shred of evidence for said consensus.

Vox is by no means alone. This is a common trope found at the The Economist and other “wonky” neoliberal outlets. The problem with the refrain, aside from the fact that it’s a weasel phrase that wouldn’t pass muster in a 10th grade rhetoric class, is that it’s designed to posture, to aggrandize an argument based solely on the insertion of an entirely made-up consensus of bespectacled, important men hovering over data and dispassionately reaching conclusions that happen to dovetail with the author’s own positions.