Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Nebraska Legislature to Debate Breastfeeding Bill

Nebraska Legislature to Debate Breastfeeding Bill
[NFT] Senator Annette Dubas (Fullerton, NE) recently introduced Legislative Bill 197 in an attempt to join Nebraska with the 48 other states that give mothers the legal right to breastfeed their babies in public.

LB197 would uphold a mother’s right to breast-feed “in any public or private location where the mother is otherwise authorized to be.” In previous years breastfeeding mothers have been asked to leave restaurants, outdoor concerts, and parks. One mom, asked to move to a restroom instead, was breastfeeding her baby in an out-of-the way corner of Joslyn Art Museum--next to a statue of a bare-breasted women.

The Centers of Disease Control says that 75% of mothers start out breastfeeding, with about 43% continuing past the baby’s six-month birthday. Breastfeeding provides many health benefits for the baby, including boosting their immune system (breastfeeding babies have a lower incidence of ear, respiratory tract, and urinary infections) and decreasing the risk of developing asthma. New mother who breastfeed often return to pre-pregnancy weight faster and breastfeeding also reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancers.

LB 197, if passed, would provide breast-feeding mothers legal backing for doing so.

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