Leading Nursing Association Urges Congress to Pass Breastfeeding Promotion Act

NEWS RELEASE: May 10, 2007                     
CONTACT: Gretchen Wright, 202-371-1999

Calling the legislation “a win-win for employers and for new moms in the workplace,” Barbara Moran, President-Elect of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), today urged the US Congress to move quickly to pass the H.R. 2236, the “Breastfeeding Promotion Act.”

Moran, an Assistant Professor at The Catholic University of America and a Certified Nurse Midwife, spoke at a Capitol Hill news conference at which Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) introduced the “Breastfeeding Promotion Act.” The news conference was held in conjunction with a nurse-in that included more than 100 moms currently breastfeeding their infants.

AWHONN, a professional society representing more than 22,000 specialty nurses and nurse practitioners dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of women and newborns, has consistently supported the use of breast milk as the ideal food for infants and advocates breastfeeding as the optimal method of infant feeding. The organization maintains that breast milk is the perfect nutrition for growing babies and provides immunologic protection that cannot be reproduced by even the best formula. AWHONN believes that breast milk is the standard against which all commercially prepared formulas should be measured.

“As a nurse, I know how important it is to give new mothers every opportunity to ensure that their babies receive the benefits of breast milk,” said Moran. “For new mothers who work outside the home, that means being able to express breast milk or breastfeed in a safe, private and sanitary space. This legislation supports new mothers and advances the health of newborns. It protects women’s right to do what’s best for their babies’ health, and it gives employers incentives to create a family-friendly work environment.”  

Thirty eight states and Puerto Rico already have laws that protect women’s right to breastfeed. The Breastfeeding Promotion Act would ensure that every woman, no matter where she lives, has that right.
___
A leader among the nation's nursing associations, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) serves and represents more than 22,000 health care professionals in the US, Canada and abroad. AWHONN members are committed to delivering superior health care to women and newborns in hospitals, in home health and ambulatory care settings. AWHONN members' rich diversity of skills and experience make AWHONN the voice for women's health and neonatal nursing.

#   #   #   #