Michigan Representative Rebekah Warren has introduced a new breastfeeding bill, House Bill 5515. HB 5515 would allow a woman to breastfeed anywhere she may otherwise legally be. The law would amend the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act to state in part:
Sec. 302. Except where permitted by law, a person shall not: (a) Deny the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a place of public accommodation or public service to an individual because of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, or marital status or to a woman because she is breastfeeding a child.
To …read more

In a disappointing and short-sighted move, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently vetoed two breastfeeding bills. One was the bill I took the time to ask my state senators to support — SB 257 the Pavley-Employee Notification/Lactation Accommodation that would have required state entities to inform pregnant employees about the existing California law that requires workplace lactation accommodation.overnor Schwarzenegger believed that there was not adequate evidence that mothers are not aware of their right to workplace lactation accommodation. However, the California WIC Association sponsored the bill in the first place because it found that state agencies do not always advise pregnant …read more

There are several breastfeeding bills making their way through the state legislatures at the moment. Here I discuss three such bills that illustrate how the text of each bill makes a huge difference in the quality and enforceability of the breastfeeding protection. Breastfeeding advocates in Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Washington state need to follow the legislation closely to ensure appropriate measures are passed.
Wisconsin
On February 24, 2009, the Wisconsin Senate passed the Right to Breastfeed Act (SB 16). If it becomes law, it would affirm a woman’s right to breastfeed in any public or private location where the mother is otherwise …read more