European deputy Licia Ronzulli votes on October 20, 2010 at the European Parliament in the northeastern Frnch city of Strasbourg in favor of raising maternity leave from 14 to 20 weeks while giving fathers across the 27-nation bloc two weeks to spend time with their newborn. European lawmakers gave their blessing to hotly contested plans for all new mothers across Europe to have five months of maternity leave. Some governments have warned the 20-week fully paid leave will add a huge burden to hard-pressed taxpayers, while business leaders say it may work against giving jobs to women in the long term. AFP PHOTO / FREDERICK FLORIN (Photo credit should read FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP/Getty Images)
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AFP FREDERICK FLORIN