Legislative Watch in Pennsylvania
February 11, 2007 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under activism, law, nursing in public
The Citizens’ Voice reports that Pennsylvania state representative Babette Josephs plans to introduce two pieces of breastfeeding legislation. The first would prohibit local governments from enacting ordinances that would ban nursing mothers from breastfeeding in public. It troubles me to think that there’s even a need for such legislation! The second would allow breastfeeding mothers to be excused from jury duty.
You can tell I’m not a mom yet because the jury duty thing didn’t even occur to me, but I am all for it! It’s sad that there needs to be legislation to permit women to use their breasts for what they were made for in the first place whenever and wherever they need to. How absurd. But I’m glad they’re taking care of business.
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I agree, it is sad. The more attention brought to the benefits of breastfeeding the better though.
You know, my state does not even have an exemption from jury duty but I wrote a letter to the court and was excused for six months. A friend who was not breastfeeding but was staying home full-time with her son was not able to get excused (which I think is very unfair by the way. A young child should not have to be separated suddenly from the primary caregiver for a temporary duty like that). Just another way in which breastfeeding has its advantages!
Update: According to Josephs’ office, she only plans to introduce the public breastfeeding bill. They don’t know anything about a jury duty bill.
Thanks for letting us know, Jake! Hopefully someone else will take up the jury duty issue.