Jul. 30, 2015

HARRISBURG – Rep. David Parker (R-Monroe) today announced that due to legislation he co-sponsored, House Resolution 429, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is supporting “World Breastfeeding Week” during the first week of August (Aug. 1–7).

“I co-sponsored this resolution with my colleague, Rep. Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery), to increase awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child and to stress the need for society to improve accommodations for breastfeeding mothers,” Parker said. “My wife has nursed all of our children and it is my hope that more mothers will have the opportunity to provide the ‘perfect food’ for their babies.”

House Resolution 429, which passed the House on July 22, designates Aug. 1–7, as World Breastfeeding Week. This weeklong effort to raise awareness to the health benefits of breastfeeding was designed by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, a group which advocates for a concerted global action to support women who breastfeed.

This year’s theme for World Breastfeeding Week is “Breastfeeding and Work: Let’s Make It Work.” Breastfeeding helps to make healthy babies and healthy moms, and this leads to cost-effective outcomes for employers and working mothers returning to their jobs.

Study after study makes it abundantly clear – both mothers and children benefit from breast milk. For most babies, especially those born prematurely, breast milk is easier to digest than formula and helps fight against disease. Moreover, breastfeeding mothers miss fewer days from work because their infants are sick less often.

“This is also a good opportunity to promote House Bill 1100, another piece of legislation Rep. Daley and I have co-sponsored,” Parker said. “When House Bill 1100 passes, it will enable more breastfeeding mothers to have a sanitary place to privately express breast milk for their baby at their workplace. We hope to have a hearing on the bill in the House Labor and Industry Committee this September.”

Currently, approximately two dozen states have laws on the books relating to expressing milk in the workplace, but Pennsylvania is not one of them, yet.

Representative David Parker
115th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Charles Lardner
717.260.6443
clardner@pahousegop.com
RepParker.com / Facebook.com/RepParker
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