On June 11, Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (NY) and Senator Jeff
Merkley (OR) introduced the Breastfeeding Promotion Act in both houses
of Congress (H.R. 2819 / S. 1244). This is the first time the bill has
been introduced in the Senate.
Forty-seven states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the
Virgin Islands already have enacted various laws protecting
breastfeeding mothers, but they are not uniform and most are not
comprehensive. Ask your Representative and Senators to co-sponsor the
Breastfeeding Promotion Act to provide a unified national policy to
keep mothers, their children, and their communities healthy.
**TAKE ACTION** by going to the US Breastfeeding Committee website
below and telling your Representative and Senators to co-sponsor the
Breastfeeding Promotion Act:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5162/t/6359/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1697
We know that breastfeeding is good for mothers, babies, and society.
The medical evidence shows that NOT breastfeeding increases the baby’s
risk of infections, diarrhea, SIDS, obesity, diabetes, asthma, and
childhood leukemia, and increases the mother’s risk of breast and
ovarian cancers and diabetes.Breastfeeding also has significant
economic and environmental benefits for families, employers, and
society.
Given all of these benefits, all major medical authorities (including
the Department of Health and Human Services), recommend that babies get
no food or drink other than breast milk20for their first 6 months and
continue to breastfeed for at least the first 1-2 years of life. But
mothers need more support: only 12% of U.S. mothers are exclusively
breastfeeding at 6 months, and only 21% are still breastfeeding at 1
year.
Interest in breastfeeding is at an all-time high: 77% of women
breastfeed their infants at birth. But breastfeeding rates drop rapidly
after hospital discharge. More than 50% of women with infants less than
one year old are in the labor force. Employed mothers are more likely
to stop breastfeeding early if they do not receive the support they
need in the workplace.
Together we can change this! Tell Congress to support the Breastfeeding
Promotion Act to provide the support mothers need!
WRITE TO CONGRESS:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5162/t/6359/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1697
The Breastfeeding Promotion Act (H.R. 2819, S. 1244) includes five
provisions:
Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding women from
being fired or discriminated against in the workplace.
Provides tax incentives for businesses that establish private lactation
areas in the workplace, or provide breastfeeding equipment or
consultation services to their employees.
Provides for a performance standard to ensure breast pumps are safe and
effective.
Allows breastfeeding equipment and consultation services to be tax
deductible for families (amends Internal Revenue Code definition of
"med
ical care").
Protects the privacy of breastfeeding mothers by ensuring they have
break time and a private place to pump (applies to employers with 50 or
more employees, see text of legislation for details).
You've been making great strides at the state level, and we know we can
do it at the national level too! With a few clicks of the mouse today,
you can help build critical support for a groundbreaking bill to
protect, promote, and support breastfeeding in the United States.
We look forward to continuing our important work together to improve
the health of mothers and babies, and thank you in advance for your
support!
United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC)
The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) is an independent
nonprofit coalition of 41 nationally influential professional,
educational, and governmental organizations. Representing over half a
million concerned professionals and the families they serve, USBC and
its member organizations share a common mission to improve the Nation's
health by working collaboratively to protect, promote, and support
breastfeeding. For more information about USBC, visit
www.usbreastfeeding.org.
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