[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 403 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 403

   Recognizing the benefits of breastfeeding, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               March 16 (legislative day, March 15), 2006

 Mr. Durbin submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
        the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing the benefits of breastfeeding, and for other purposes.

Whereas the Surgeon General and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend 
        that most babies be exclusively fed with breast milk for the first 6 
        months of life, and continue on with breast milk through the first year 
        of life;
Whereas studies have shown that children who were breastfed had a 20 percent 
        lower risk of dying in the first year of life than children who were not 
        breastfed;
Whereas promoting breastfeeding can potentially prevent up to 720 postneonatal 
        deaths in the United States each year;
Whereas breast milk provides the right balance of nutrients to help an infant 
        grow into a strong and healthy toddler, improves the chances of infant 
        survival, and helps protect against common childhood illnesses and 
        infections;
Whereas research also suggests that breastfeeding may be protective against 
        chronic diseases such as type I and type II diabetes, leukemia, and 
        obesity;
Whereas breast milk contains important amino acids, only found in natural breast 
        milk, that help an infant's brain develop;
Whereas maternal benefits to breastfeeding include decreased postpartum 
        bleeding, decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and decreased 
        risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis;
Whereas the health advantages for mothers and children of breastfeeding 
        translate into economic benefits for the family, health care system, and 
        workplace;
Whereas breastfeeding more children would reduce medical care costs, decrease 
        spending for public health programs such as the Special Supplemental 
        Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and decrease 
        parental absenteeism;
Whereas breastfeeding more children would have an environmental benefit by 
        reducing trash and plastic waste from formula cans and bottle supplies;
Whereas 1 of the objectives for improving health in Focus Area 16, Maternal, 
        Infant, and Child Health, from Healthy People 2010, is to increase the 
        percentage of mothers who breastfeed to 75 percent in the postpartum 
        period, 50 percent 6 months after birth, and 25 percent 1 year after 
        birth; and
Whereas throughout the United States, mothers have encountered legal and 
        systematic challenges while trying to breastfeed in public and upon 
        returning to work when seeking out adequate places to express milk in 
        the workplace: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the unique health, economic, and social 
        benefits breastfeeding affords to children, mothers, and the 
        community at large; and
            (2) calls upon States to take steps to protect a mother's 
        right to breastfeed and remove the barriers faced by women who 
        breastfeed.
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