Persuasive Essay On Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is natural occurring event that has been happening since the beginning of time. Both people and animal species breastfeed their young to provide nutrition and food for their babies. Women all over the world breastfeed and others do not give it a second thought or glance although here in America, it has it become a very touchy piece of subject matter. Even though breastfeeding is the most natural source and form of nutrition for infants it has come under attack by the public. It has gotten to be so much a matter of public debate that nursing mothers have been harassed, hounded and publically humiliated which is making it hard for mothers to make the choice to breastfeed out of fear. Breastfeeding should be universally accepted

On March 30, 2010 President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. Within this act are many new regualations and provisions for breastfeeding. Section 4207 of the law amends the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 (29 U.S. Code 207) to require an employer to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the child's birth each time such employee has need to express milk. The employer is not required to compensate an employee receiving reasonable break time for any work time spent for such purpose. The employer must also provide a place, other than a bathroom, for the employee to express breast milk. If these requirements impose undue hardship, an employer that employs fewer than 50 employees is not subject to these requirements. The federal requirements shall not preempt a state law that provides greater protections to employees. (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2015 Breastfeeding State Laws, Federal Health Reform and Nursing Mothers) Each state has its own provisions but under the federal guideline mothers should feel some protection. Until this act came into effect there was virtually no protection for working mothers. The American Journal of Public Health states that “employment of mothers outside the home, especially full-time employment, has a negative influence on duration of breastfeeding.14–18 (Employment appears to have a less deleterious effect on initiation of breastfeeding.) Among mothers of infants in their first year, 35.5% work full time and 16.1% work part time outside the home; for mothers of children aged 12 to 24 months, the rates are 40% and 17%, respectively.19Therefore, improving the ability of mothers to breastfeed or to express and store milk in the workplace would likely contribute to higher US breastfeeding rates. ” (American Journal Public Health,