Duckworth: Giving birth while in Senate makes me want to stay longer

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said Friday that giving birth while serving in the Senate makes her want to remain in the chamber for even “longer.”

“I want to be there to really be able to make the change, so that my daughters will grow up not knowing any boundaries, so that my daughters will grow up not having to make that choice between their profession and their fertility,” Duckworth told ABC7 Chicago.

Duckworth’s comments came days after she revealed that she is expecting her second child in April, making her the first senator to give birth while in office.

Wanted to share some exciting personal news… pic.twitter.com/ZZyu9pG2nq

— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) January 23, 2018

{mosads}

Only a handful of lawmakers have given birth while serving in Congress, and all were serving in the House at the time, including Duckworth, who gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Abigail, in 2014. 

Duckworth told ABC7 that she struggled earlier in her career in the military with starting a family, because she was simultaneously trying to rise through the ranks.

“The lesson from my situation is a struggle with my fertility. In my, the early part of my career, which was also for most women in your 20s and early 30s, your prime fertility years were also my career-building years,” Duckworth said.