Breastfeeding in Tennessee
February 10, 2011
Did you know that you can nurse your baby anywhere you want at any time you like in the State of Tennessee? You can. Nursing in public is protected by law. Isn’t that great?!?!
Well, until they reach 12 months of age. The law no longer protects nursing mothers from indecent exposure once their child has crossed the 1 year mark.
There are NUMEROUS reasons why I would encourage you to continue to breastfeed beyond the 12 month mark. The benefits are amazing for both baby AND mom!
Currently, there is a bill being introduced which would remove the 12 month age restriction that is currently spelled out in the law. It’s Senate Bill 0083 which was introduced this year by Senator Faulk after he was contacted by a TN breastfeeding mother.
This past Sunday, the Tennessean ran an article with some great statistics about the current state of breastfeeding in our state and what this bill would mean for us. Let’s just say that we can do better in TN!
However, the bill currently only has one sponsor and it has to be filed by the 17th. That gives us just one week to encourage our elected officials to take notice and get on board.
Here’s what you can do. First, find your legislator and contact them. You can call or e-mail them or BOTH!
I drafted a quick letter (see below) and emailed it to my local representatives. Feel free to copy my letter and change it as you see fit. A quick copy & paste will take you less than 60 seconds. Do it! Please? For all future nursing mothers. It just might be you one day. Maybe it’s you right now. 😉
My legislators:
Good morning,
I am writing today to encourage you to support Senate Bill 0083. I’m delighted that the State of Tennessee is moving forward to encourage mothers to continue to give their babies the best nourishment possible, breast milk. There are numerous statistics available as well as statements by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) which show numerous benefits of continuing the breastfeeding relationship beyond 12 months. There are ample health benefits for both mom and baby when breastfeeding is continued past the first year. Therefore, I deeply urge you to support this bill.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
2 Comments
Robert and Hannah
The current bf'ing stats for TN are abysmal. I was so sad when I read that only something like 9% of babies in this state are exclusively breastfed til 6 mos. I'm excited for this bill; I hope it passes (obviously) but TN still has a long long way to go. This is a start! I reposted on peaceful parenting and everyday mom, plus my profile. Hopefully we will be the vocal minority/squeaky wheel that gets greased. 😉 Thanks for posting, Staci!! <3
Lisa
Thanks for linking to my blog! We need more news coverage! We need to find more and more support! Sen. Faulk posted on his facebook that he's only received one response against the bill, but we still need to find a House rep to back the Bill or it dies until next year!