Nurse-In Tomorrow in DC

Sorry for the late notice. I just received this myself. MomsRising is organizing a “nurse-in” tomorrow to support Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s introduction of the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. This bill would:

The Breastfeeding Promotion Act would:

• Protect breastfeeding moms from discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Provide tax incentives for employers that establish private lactation areas in the workplace
• Establish minimum safety standards for breast pumps
• Allow breastfeeding equipment to be tax deductible for families
• Afford working breastfeeding moms with the time and privacy they need to express milk

Any one of these would be enough for me to get behind. I’ve been very lucky in that my employers have been (mostly) supportive of my need for time and private space to pump at work. That tax deduction would be sweet, though – breast pumps are expensive.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding to 12 months (and after that, for as long as is “mutually desired by the mother and baby”). The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding to 24 months. But for women who have to return to work not long after giving birth, who aren’t able to get breaks for pumping or a clean, private place to do it in, who can’t afford a decent pump – they’d be lucky to breastfeed to 30 days.

Here’s more on the “nurse-in,” from MomsRising:

LOGISTICS: “Nurse-In” On Capitol Hill Tomorrow Morning

WHAT: Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Senator Jeff Merkley to host ‘Right to Breastfeed’ event
WHEN: 10am Thursday, June 11, 2009
WHERE: House Triangle, East Front Lawn of U.S. Capitol (toward House side)
Map: http://maloney.house.gov/documents/women/breastfeeding/triangle09.JPG
Nearest Metro: Capitol South, Blue/Orange Lines

IF IT’S RAINING, GO TO THIS ROOM: 2103 Rayburn House Office Building

THE LOWDOWN: Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) will host a news conference Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. to reintroduce the “Breastfeeding Promotion Act,” which would protect the rights of breastfeeding mothers who return to the workplace after childbirth, and the health and well-being of their children.

*RSVP to us that you can come.

As they mention, 38 states (not sure if they count DC in that number) have laws addressing breastfeeding, but they’re all over the board. Some say women can breastfeed anywhere they’re legally allowed to be. Some only protect breastfeeding mothers on state property. Some states are simply silent on the issue, leaving women vulnerable to arrest for indecent exposure. (Here’s an NCSL sheet with the laws in each state.) Rep. Maloney’s bill would do away with this patchwork of state laws and create one much-needed federal standard.