MENLO PARK, CA—As part of their efforts to accommodate women who wish to delay parenthood, Facebook officials announced Wednesday that the company will offer financial assistance for female employees to freeze their newborn children. “We recognize the many challenges women face starting a family and balancing a career, which is why our company will provide extensive support to female employees who want to preserve their infant in a frozen state of suspended animation until they’re ready for child-rearing,” said Facebook spokesperson Mary Copperman, who added that the company would pay up to $20,000 for the cryopreservation procedure, which involves submerging a baby in a vat of supercooled liquid immediately after birth and storing the offspring in a specialized containment cylinder until the newborn is thawed. “Women deserve to have the option to postpone motherhood until they feel fully prepared, which is why Facebook will also cover the cryonic facility’s annual maintenance costs for as many years as our employees feel they need. And when the time comes, female employees can simply unfreeze their child and take advantage of our competitive four-month paid maternity leave.” Facebook also confirmed that the company would begin covering the costs of a procedure that involves freezing a female employee’s husband until he is emotionally prepared to be a father.

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