[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S1078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE:
  S. 256. A bill to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect 
breastfeeding by new mothers; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that is 
very important to working women and their families--the Pregnancy 
Discrimination Act Amendments of 2001. This bill would clarify that the 
Pregnancy Discrimination Act protects breastfeeding under civil rights 
law, requiring that a woman cannot be fired or discriminated against in 
the workplace for expressing breast milk during her own lunch time or 
break time.
  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women with infants and 
toddlers are the fastest growing segment of today's labor force. At 
least 50 percent of women who are employed when they become pregnant 
return to the labor force by the time their children are three months 
old. Although the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was enacted in 1978 and 
prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, 
childbirth, or related medical conditions, courts have not interpreted 
the Act to include breastfeeding.
  Some employers deny women the opportunity to express milk . . . some 
women have been discharged for requesting to express milk during lunch 
and other regular breaks . . . some women have been harassed or 
discriminated against; some women have had their pay withheld or been 
taken off of shift work for saying that they wanted to pump milk.
  On the other hand, many employers have seen positive results from 
facilitating lactation programs in the workplace, including low 
absenteeism, high productivity, improved company loyalty, high employee 
morale, and lower health care costs. Parental absenteeism due to infant 
illness is three times greater among the parents of formula-fed 
children than those that are breastfed. Worksite programs that aim to 
improve infant health may also bring about a reduction in parental 
absenteeism and health insurance costs.
  There is no doubt as to the health benefit breastfeeding brings to 
both mothers and children. Breastmilk is easily digested and 
assimilated, and contains all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients 
they require in their first five to six months of life. Furthermore, 
important antibodies, proteins, immune cells, and growth factors that 
can only be found in breast milk. Breastmilk is the first line of 
immunization defense and enhances the effectiveness of vaccines given 
to infants.
  Research studies show that children who are not breastfed have higher 
rates of mortality, meningitis, some types of cancers, asthma and other 
respiratory illnesses, bacterial and viral infections, diarrhoeal 
diseases, ear infections, allergies, and obesity. Other research 
studies have shown that breastmilk and breastfeeding have protective 
effects against the development of a number of chronic diseases, 
including juvenile diabetes, lymphomas, Crohn's disease, celiac 
disease, some chronic liver diseases, and ulcerative colitis. A number 
of studies have shown that breastfed children have higher IQs at all 
ages.
  This is a simple bill--it simply inserts the word ``breastfeeding'' 
in the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. It will change the law to read 
that employment discrimination ``because of or on the basis of 
pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medication 
conditions'' is not permitted.
  I believe that it is absolutely critical to support mothers in across 
the country--they are, of course, raising the very future of our 
country. And we should ensure that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act 
covers this basic fundamental part of mothering.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
                                 ______