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MotherWoman in the News,
Press Releases, and Upcoming Events MomsRisingPV, the political arm of MotherWoman, Inc. has launched a letter writing campaign to advocate for the rights of mothers to breastfeed in public. The campaign has two parts: First MomsRisingPV is collecting stories from mothers who have been made to feel uncomfortable or even been harassed for breastfeeding in a store, restaurant, workplace, or other public place in Massachusetts. Send your stories to momsrising@motherwoman.org. Second, MomsRisingPV is urging people to send letters to their MA state senators in support of Senate Bill 78, ?An Act Relative to the Public Health Benefits of Breast Feeding.? This legislation would make breastfeeding in public an action protected under MA state law. See sample letter below, as well as information on how to contact your state senator. "All mothers, whether they are bottlefeeding or breastfeeding, should have the right to feed their children where and how they need to without fear, shame, criticism, or distruption," stated MotherWoman's Executive Director Melanie DeSilva. For more information on this campaign, email momsrising@motherwoman.org or call 413-253-8990. To find your state Senator, go to http://www.mass.gov/legis/memmenus.htm The Amherst, MA state Senator is Stan Rosenberg 1 Prince Street Northampton, MA 01060 Telephone: (413) 587-6259 Fax : (413) 582-0113 Stan.Rosenberg@state.ma.us SAMPLE LETTER Senator _________ I am writing to urge you to vote in favor of Senate Bill 78, ?An Act Relative to the Public Health Benefits of Breast Feeding.? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that, at a minimum, women breastfeed their children exclusively for the first six months of life and supplementally for the first year. It is well known that breast milk is the best food for babies and that breastfeeding benefits both the child and the mother. In addition to boosting the immunity of babies from harmful respiratory and intestinal diseases, it has been established that children who are breastfed have lower incidence of obesity and childhood cancer. Mothers who breastfeed have a lower incidence of breast cancer and diabetes. Despite these benefits, many women choose to not breastfeed their children because of the difficulties they encounter when they try to pump at work or breastfeed their child in public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that seventy-percent of mothers with children under three work full-time. Two-thirds of them return to work within six months of giving birth. For economically disadvantaged women, the return to work may take place as quickly as a few days. Yet, there is no legislation in place in the State of Massachusetts requiring accommodations be made for nursing mothers in the workplace. An additional impediment mothers face in nursing is the censure and harassment experienced by many women who nurse their children in public. A woman should not be forced to delay feeding her hungry child because of fear of how she will be treated. Children should not be required to be fed while their mothers are perched over public toilets in cramped bathroom stalls. Passage of legislation to protect the rights of mothers to breastfeed will send a powerful message that the State of Massachusetts recognizes the individual and societal benefits of nursing. If a woman is to be able to successfully breastfeed her child, it is imperative that her rights to feed her child in the optimally beneficial way be protected. Please vote ?YES? on the passage of Senate Bill 78. Thank you, Name Address phone number |
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