“I commend the women who are out at airports all over the country today to help make sure that women can breastfeed if they choose to,” said Rep. Maloney.  “Breastfeeding is healthy and natural and women who choose to breastfeed their children should not be discouraged, regardless if they are at home, at work or on an airplane. This incident again shows that we need to do more to back women who choose to breastfeed in this country -- which is exactly what my legislation, the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, would do.”

Background:

Congresswoman Maloney has consistently led efforts in Congress to protect the rights of new mothers.  In 1999, she passed legislation that guarantees the rights of women to breastfeed on federal property.  Rep. Maloney is also the author of H.R. 2122, The Breastfeeding Promotion Act, which would encourage employers to make their businesses more family-friendly and would expand the rights of breastfeeding mothers in the workplace.

The New York City Breastfeeding Promotion Leadership Committee was established to bring together representatives from breastfeeding programs in NYC to share information on current breastfeeding projects, identify the needs and gaps in breastfeeding initiatives, collaborate efforts to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates, plan training for breastfeeding professionals, sponsor forums for Hospital and WIC lactation coordinators, and encourage mothers to breastfeed in public.

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