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WHEREAS, breastfeeding offers ideal infant nutrition, aids digestion and immune system functioning, provides the mother with a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and may help to protect against obesity, diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); and,
WHEREAS, a recent study in the journal Pediatrics showed breastfeeding a child for the first six months of life would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars each year, is accessible, available, and affordable; and,
WHEREAS, according to federal law, employers must provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child's birth each time such employee has need to express milk; and,
WHEREAS, the employer must also provide a place, other than a bathroom, for the employee to express breast milk; and,
WHEREAS, in Pennsylvania, a mother is 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; and,
WHEREAS, regardless of federal and state legality, women across the country and here in Pittsburgh have felt uncomfortable in public situations when breastfeeding their children and/or expressing milk; and,
WHEREAS, mothers often have to carefully tailor their schedules so that they can pump milk in the middle of the day, and avoid stares when they put bottles in the communal refrigerators, while some have to use a bathroom stall to pump milk, as there is no other space available; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh should accommodate breastfeeding-related needs of employees and the public, including access to appropriate facilities, time, and assistance with equipment and storage.
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NOW, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of the City of Pittsburgh believes that the City should provide accessible, adequate, and private facili...
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