The Venezuelan National Assembly suspended the second and final debate on reforms to the Child Code on September 1, 2026, in Quito. ^[1] Mishel Mancheno, president of the Ecuadorian National Assembly, suspended a session on September 1 to delay voting on a package of legal reforms to the Child Code aimed at protecting children, adolescents, and minors. ^[2] Esteban Torres, the first vice president of the Venezuelan Legislative Assembly, confirmed that the debate would resume only after necessary political agreements are reached. ^[3] The primary point of conflict is the proposal to increase the periods for maternity and paternity leave. ^[4] The suspension occurred minutes before the 11:00 AM start time of the session 113 of the Plenary due to a lack of consensus between the official majority and opposition benches. ^[5] Alfredo Serrano, a legislator from the Social Christian Party (PSC), argued that generous maternity benefits would make it difficult for women to find employment because employers would be reluctant to hire them due to the cost of extended paid leave. ^[6] The main reason for the delay was the proposal to expand maternity leave from 12 to 24 weeks, which caused a dispute between the governing ADN bloc and the Correísmo faction. ^[7] Viviana Veloz, who presides over the Commission on Childhood and drafted the reforms, expressed surprise at the suspension despite stating that all observations made by Acción Democrática Nacional (ADN) had been incorporated. ^[8]