Thus far, I have never had an issue with maternity leave. I don't think it's poor practice, given that employers find proper temporary/replacement staff. If they don't then that's an issue with the employer, not maternity leave itself.

I may not want to have kids, but I'm not going to pretend like becoming a parent/having a baby isn't a big deal from a physiological and psychological standpoint. I think families need the time to adjust to the situation.