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Two Breastfeeding Bills Protect Women's Rights in Virginia

Delegate Viola. O Baskerville introduced two bills in the 2002 Virginia General Assembly to safeguard a woman's right to breastfeed. Both passed the House and Senate with overwhelming support. The first bill guarantees a woman the right to breastfeed her child on any property owned, leased or controlled by the State. It also stipulates that childbirth and related medical conditions specified in the Virginia Human Rights Act includes activities of lactation, including breastfeeding and expression of milk by a mother for her child. The second bill encourages employers to recognize the benefits of breastfeeding and to provide unpaid break time and appropriate space for employees who need to breastfeed or express their milk for their infant children. Hawaii, Minnesota and Tennessee have passed similar legislation. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services reveal that while 64% of all women breastfed in the first months following childbirth, only 47% of Virginia women on WIC initiate breastfeeding. However, over the past ten years, the percentage of WIC women in Virginia who initiate breastfeeding has doubled. Contact your local WIC office to answer your breastfeeding questions or get the support you need to meet your breastfeeding goals.