Laws that protect expressing breast milk in the workplace are particularly important because a significant number of mothers wean when they go back to work and do not find support for pumping. Working mothers in Oregon, Montana and New Mexico soon will join the ranks of the nearly one in four U.S. states that have workplace protections for pumping.
Yesterday the Oregon Senate passed a revised version of House Bill 2372. The House is expected to approve the minor amendments and Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski already indicated he will sign the bill into law. The new law amends Oregon Revised Statutes …read more

Works of art related to breastfeeding are being sought for a juried “Art of Breastfeeding” show put on by the Lincoln County Breastfeeding Coalition and the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts. In an article in the Newport News Times, Pat Lewis of the Lincoln County Breastfeeding Coalition says:
“There are lots of images out there of formula feeding; it’s so common it doesn’t even register with people,” Lewis says. “But there are no images of breastfeeding in the public venue … the images may be out there, but we don’t see them. It’s not in the social psyche.” …
The …read more

In the new year breastfeeding legislation has been proposed or passed in several states including Arkansas, Indiana, New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Oregon joins that list with the introduction of House Bill 2372. The Oregon legislation would require employers with 25 or more employees to provide unpaid breaks and a private location for nursing mothers to express milk. The Reluctant Lactivist, an Oregon nursing mother named Chris, notes that if the bill is enacted it would affect 10% of businesses employing 70% of Oregon workers.
A public hearing on the measure is tentatively scheduled for February 7th, 2007 before …read more