Pennsylvania Passes Breastfeeding Protection
July 5, 2007 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under breastfeeding, law, nursing in public
On July 3, 2007, the Pennsylvania legislature passed Senate Bill 34, enacted as the Freedom to Breastfeed Act. The thrust of the law states:
A mother shall be permitted to breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be present, irrespective of whether or not the mother’s breast is covered during or incidental to the breastfeeding.
The act also exempts breastfeeding from the indecent exposure law. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has already expressed his intention to sign the bill into law, and when he does so the law will take immediate effect.
Im so happy that PA has finally come to its senses! It is unfortunate that there is no allotment in the law protecting mothers who are illegally removed from a setting for breastfeeding; as Emily Gillette in Vermont. For now, hooray for a step in the right direction!