'This is Lauren. Lauren is a paralegal at a small law firm in Denver. And she is 260 weeks pregnant…and five days…and nine hours. Not that's she's counting.'

That is how the National Partnership for Women and Families open their funny, but also depressing video, highlighting the absurdity of the U.S.'s lack of maternity coverage.

The video explains that the fictional Lauren (and her husband) is representative of 86% of Americans, in that she has a job that does not provide paid family leave.

Due to her husband taking up his sick days looking after his elderly mother, she needs to find a way to save up her own sick days to be able to afford to look after her newborn child.

She figures six years should do it.

In the meantime, she'll just keep the baby, toddler and eventually small child inside of her, for six years.

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The video is narrated by actress Sophia Bush, who is a vocal women's health advocate.

She has recently spoken out about the importance of of birth control access and education in the US.

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Sophia Bush

The One Tree Hill actress spoke to Cosmopolitan US about her involvement with #NoHormonesPlz, the initiative attempting to educate women about all contraceptive options.

She told the magazine, 'If men could get pregnant, the birth-control conversation would be incredibly different.'

Sophia discusses how conversations around family planning should be prioritised, ' especially in a world in which we don't have guaranteed paid family leave.'

Well, actually is isn't a 'world', but, as she mentions in the video, it is country specific. The United States is the only developed country that does not guarantee paid family leave.

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Sophia Bush

Unfortunately, people can't also hold in their babies for years until they can afford to have it.

So, until America takes family planning seriously (be it getting a conversation going about contraception, or maintaining free, affordable and safe access to abortions), they need to change their ways when it comes to paid family leave.

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Daisy Murray
Digital Fashion Editor

Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.