Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition
January 24, 2007 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under activism, law, nursing in public
A majority of U.S. states have state laws protecting breastfeeding in public or exempting it from indecency laws. Even if a state does not have a breastfeeding law on the books that does not mean that breastfeeding in public is illegal in that state. It simply means that a private business owner may have the right to ask a mother to cover up or to leave the premises.
Arkansas is one of the remaining states without any breastfeeding laws. The Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition is hoping to change that fact. The ABC has drafted proposed legislation, which you can read here.
According to an on-line breastfeeding support group, the Women’s Caucus is considering sponsoring the legislation and there are other legislators interested in co-sponsorship. Arkansas mothers can help by spreading the word about the proposed legislation and writing positive letters to their state legislators. According to a La Leche League article on enacting breastfeeding legislation, the following is the best way to support state legislation:
Contact a local legislator, and find out if they might be interested in sponsoring a breastfeeding bill. Give the legislator information on other bills, and ideas for bills. Refer the legislator to others that can give more information. Help to get information out to the community about the bill. Encourage positive, informative letters to legislators, rather than angry, upset letters. Nurse-ins, demonstrations, or other activities that might appear fanatical hinder rather than help with this. However, rallies where reputable speakers and breastfeeding information is distributed can help to educate everyone about the importance of breastfeeding.
La Leche League also notes that a short “snail mail” letter is best. E-mails and phone calls are more effective when time is of the essence, such as when the bill is up for vote.
I hope we hear good news from Arkansas in 2007!
Why would we not also want to have something silimar to the law in OK when the employers are asked to provide a quite private place for working mothers to pump. It is very hard to go back to work and try to find a secure, private, sanitary location to pump. I also belive that the employer should agree that he mother can use her breaks and lunch time to pump if needed to maintain her milk supply.
Just something to think about. Protecting our rights in public is great, but think about all the mothers that quit when they go back to work because they don’t have any place to pump. And try fining a place in an airport if your traveling away from your child to pump. It’s impossible.
Thanks for your comment! Absolutely it would be nice to have protections/provisions for working mothers. It seems like states enact breastfeeding legislation in bits and pieces — exempting breastfeeding from indecency laws, allowing a mother to breastfeeding in any place in which she is authorized to be, and making provisions for mothers in the workplace. The second two are probably the hardest to get passed because legislators may hesitate to put any restrictions on local businesses (even for a good cause and even if it’s not really a restriction!)