Here is a letter Motherwear recently sent, along with letters from our local breastfeeding task force, local Moms Rising/Motherwoman group, and 100 individuals, to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health in support of Senate Bill 78. This bill would provide legal protection for breastfeeding in public, and require employers to accommodate pumping mothers in the workplace.
The bill has passed out of the committee, given a new number, and will soon be headed to the House, where it died last year. You can weigh in on this bill, too, through the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition's advocacy page.
Dear (Senator or Representative):
On behalf of Motherwear International, Inc., I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of Senate Bill 78, "An Act Relative to the Public Health Benefits of Breast Feeding."
Motherwear has been supporting breastfeeding for over 24 years. We publish the only catalog exclusively for nursing moms. Motherwear's commitment to nursing doesn't stop at the clothing. We want all women to feel empowered with the knowledge they're giving the best possible start to their babies.
At the root of our mission is our desire to support breastfeeding women and create a nurturing environment for them and their families. We want to help women foster a long and satisfying breastfeeding relationship with their babies, educate others about the benefits of breastfeeding, and empower more mothers to nurse their babies longer.
We are dismayed that Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states that does not protect mother nursing their children in public. We believe that a woman should not be forced to delay feeding her hungry child because of fear of how she will be treated. Children should not be required to be fed while their mothers are perched over public toilets in cramped bathroom stalls. Passage of legislation to protect the rights of mothers to breastfeed will send a powerful message that the State of Massachusetts recognizes the individual and societal benefits of nursing.
We also support this legislation because it requires that employers make reasonable accommodations for mothers who want to pump in the workplace.
If a woman is to be able to successfully breastfeed her child, it is imperative that her rights to feed her child in the optimally beneficial way be protected.
Please vote YES on the passage of Senate Bill 78.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Taylor, CEO
Motherwear International, Inc.
