A woman, a veteran, a mother, a past member of the US House of Representatives, and a current member of the United States Senate. These are some of the traits that encompass Tammy Duckworth.

This past week held a large historical event for the United States Senate. Tammy Duckworth, a Democratic senator out of Illinois, gave birth to a baby girl, making her the first female senator to do so while in office. I first read about this on CNN, which spurred thoughts on the whole event.

I commend Senator Duckworth, as she said that she was taking her maternity leave in Washington, D.C., so she can still be present when needed to vote. Being a woman in the boys club of government, she is not letting motherhood get in the way, disproving the people that say women can't have it all. After all, women should be able to have children and work in any industry of their choosing, and Senator Duckworth is the perfect example of this. She had one child while in the House of Representatives, and still moved on to be elected in the Senate, despite any adversity she may have faced.

Although she is empowering, I have to question why something like this needed to get this much attention by all the news networks. Senator Duckworth did make large strides for women, but she is not the first to have a child in the Senate, but the first to give birth.

So, why does it not attract this much attention when a man has a child while in Congress? It almost reinforces the double standard between men and women in this country. It shouldn't have to be an accomplishment to give birth to a child while in office, and no one should be mostly known for being a mother when they have accomplished so much as well.

Hopefully, with this happening, it becomes more normalized for women to be pregnant/give birth while in office. But still, congratulations to Senator Duckworth, for not only the birth of her second child, but for all the good work she does in Congress.