One Brooklyn
February 5, 2016
LEGISLATORS JOIN FORCES ON NEW BILL TO SET ASIDE SPACE IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS FOR MOTHERS TO NURSE OR BREASTFEED, BRINGING PUBLIC ACCESS IN LINE WITH LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR EMPLOYEES
BROOKLYN, NY, February 5, 2016: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Council Members Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., Laurie A. Cumbo, and Corey Johnson joined forces to introduce legislation that would require the City to create dedicated space for nursing moms in municipal government offices that serve the public. Should Intro 1063-2016 become law, New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) job centers and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) offices, New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) borough offices, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) facilities, and other public-facing locations associated with City agencies will be outfitted with private, non-bathroom spaces where mothers can relax and nurse their babies or pump milk, should they so choose. Borough President Adams and Council Members Cornegy, Cumbo, and Johnson discussed how these public lactation rooms, which will include comfortable seating, electricity, and nearby access to running water, will advance New York City’s commitment to quality maternal and newborn health.
This introduction builds on work that has already taken root in Brooklyn, where Borough President Adams and Council Member Cornegy have embraced the concept of providing public lactation rooms. The “lactation station” in Council Member Cornegy’s Bedford-Stuyvesant district office at Restoration Plaza opened in 2014, and the ribbon on the “lactation lounge” at Brooklyn Borough Hall was cut by Borough President Adams the following year. Public lactation rooms are also becoming increasingly available at airports across the United States, and District of Columbia Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton recently introduced the Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act, a bill to require public lactation rooms in federal buildings.
“We must always promote and protect mothers’ right to nurse wherever they choose, but a diverse city like New York must recognize that mothers have a variety of needs,” said Council Member Cornegy. “Some crave privacy, or have babies that need quiet to focus on feeding. Other mothers need accessible outlets to pump for a baby at home. This bill is an opportunity for NYC to exhibit leadership and demonstrate its support for mothers in a meaningful way.”
“We should do all we can to support mothers who choose to have a private space to nurse their child, understanding that breastfeeding is a critical component to promote overall public health,” said Borough President Adams. “I am pleased that Council Member Cornegy, who has shown true initiative in the establishment of public lactation rooms for nursing moms, is a partner on this effort, and that we have the additional leadership of Council Members Cumbo and Johnson, who speak to the issue of maternal health every day in their legislative work. I look forward to working alongside the City Council to help Intro 1063-2016 move forward.”
“As Chair of the Women’s Issues Committee, I would like to acknowledge the incredible women throughout this city and beyond that unequivocally breastfeed their children anytime and anyplace,” said Council Member Cumbo, chair of the Committee on Women’s Issues. “This is a personal decision for every woman, which ought to be respected within our society. This legislation will create additional safe spaces for nursing mothers to feed and care for their child(ren) without public scrutiny.”
“As far as I’m concerned, mothers have the right to care for their child wherever and whenever they need to,” said Council Member Johnson, chair of the Committee on Health. “With this bill, our City will honor that right by providing comfortable spaces in City offices to facilitate nursing and pumping. The benefits of breastfeeding are manifold and well-documented, so this will not only serve the parenting needs of mothers, but also the health needs of our kids. I thank Borough President Adams and Council Members Cornegy and Cumbo, with whom I’m proud to introduce this important legislation.”
Advocates joined with Borough President Adams and Council Members Cornegy, Cumbo, and Johnson to applaud Intro 1063-2016.
“BPN fully supports the introduction of Intro 1063-2016 for further development of lactation rooms in public facilities. We are proud of the leadership already demonstrated by Council Member Cornegy and Borough President Adams for having already forged ahead with the development of lactation rooms in their offices,” said Denise West, deputy director of Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc. (BPN). “We look forward to the passing of this bill, so that many other women have access to this accommodation while out and about with their nursing children. Thank you for giving credence to the importance of breastfeeding.”
“Given how important breastfeeding is not only to children’s nutrition, neurological development and health, maternal health and, indeed, everyone’s health (because of the expected decrease of infections such as common colds among the public), we have no doubt that the addition of dozens or more lactation rooms in City buildings would lead to a huge improvement in breastfeeding rates in New York City,” said Marti Copleman, executive director of Worksites for Wellness, Inc. “And considering how forward-looking New York City is viewed throughout the United States (viz., NYC Smoke-Free Air Act of 2002), it is likely that copycat laws will spring up all over the country, demonstrating once again how progressive and forward-looking our City is.”
“The Urban Justice Center applauds this legislation that would require dedicated, on-site space for nursing women in City government offices,” said Harvey Epstein, associate director of the Urban Justice Center. “Many women requesting or trying to maintain benefits wait hours for their appointments. This change would allow them to have safe and secure places to either breastfeed or pump milk if they desire the privacy. This is an important step forward for the City of New York.”
“La Leche League of New York is excited to hear of the new bill that would require the City to create public lactation rooms in city agency offices that provide on-site services to members of the public,” said Leigh Anne O’Connor of La Leche League of New York. “This bill will help to support and protect New York’s breastfeeding families as well as families visiting New York.”
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