There has been lots of political discussion around ending of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) for some time. Now that Republicans have taken control of Congress and the Senate it may soon be a reality.
The ACA carries many additional provisions like the Section 4207: Reasonable Break Time for Nursing Mothers.
"President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on March 30, 2010. (See the combined full text of Public Laws 111-148 and 111-152 here.) Among many provisions, 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.Never before has Federal legislature cited the importance of breaks for moms to breast pump."
(Also outlined on the main page of MomsPumpHere.com)
This will pose a problem for nursing mother's who have to go back to work soon after the baby is born. On average, women breastfeed for 6 months in the Unites States. Experts recommend babies to be breastfed for up to a year because of the nutritional value found in breast milk. Provisions like the one outlined in the ACA allow women to continue to provide their babies with breast milk well pass the 6 month mark when employers create private spaces for breast pumping.
Although, Moms Pump Here does not align itself with a political party we are for women's rights and more specifically for the rights of nursing moms. With the end of the ACA and with no proper substitution in place this provision will no longer be available for working moms who would like to continue nursing and breast pumping.
 Will Kill Nursing Mom Rights)
