Breastfeeding Petition to President Obama

Sign on below to ask President Barack Obama to make breastfeeding a high priority in his administration. This Web tool will allow USBC to compile signatures from supporters all across the United States to submit to the new administration.

Dear President Obama:

There is virtually universal agreement among health care experts that, with rare exceptions, breastfeeding is the optimal method of feeding all infants, sick as well as healthy, preterm as well as full term. In addition to the myriad health benefits provided to mother and infant, breastfeeding provides significant economic and environmental benefits for families, employers, and society by reducing health care expenses, eliminating the need to purchase expensive formula, and reducing absenteeism from work to care for sick infants. Excess health care costs totaling more than $4 billion must be paid by the U.S. health care system each year to treat otitis media, gastroenteritis, and necrotizing enterocolitis--childhood diseases and conditions preventable or reduced by breastfeeding. When prevention of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic conditions is factored in, the potential economic benefits of breastfeeding are significantly greater.

Given all of these benefits, the United States Breastfeeding Committee joins the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in recommending that infants be exclusively breastfed for six months, and continue to breastfeed for the first year of life and as long afterward as mutually desired by the mother and infant. Yet only a handful of states are currently meeting the federal government’s own Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding targets. Additionally, significant disparities in breastfeeding continue to exist, with non-Hispanic black and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups experiencing lower breastfeeding rates.

Obviously, more needs to be done to ensure the achievement of our national breastfeeding goals and to create an environment where women and their families can be successful in achieving their personal breastfeeding goals. You have the power to take immediate and concrete action to improve the Nation’s health by protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding. We urge you to use your position of leadership and power to set the tone in the federal government to place a high priority on breastfeeding as an essential public health issue.

Please take the following actions to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding, the foundation of lifelong health: 1. Instruct the Surgeon General to issue a statement in support of breastfeeding urging all sectors (governmental and non-governmental) involved in supporting women, children, and families to improve their breastfeeding policies. 2. Enact a national paid family leave policy. 3. Endorse the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes as well as the Global Strategy for Infant & Young Child Feeding. 4. Ask the Federal Trade Commission to monitor infant formula marketing. 5. Ask the Food and Drug Administration to include labeling on powdered infant formula warning that it is not sterile and providing instructions on how to properly reconstitute it. 6. Highlight the benefits for employers of workplace breastfeeding support programs as part of your program to promote flexible work arrangements. 7. Urge all insurers to cover lactation care and support services. 8. Approve an increase in breastfeeding support funds for the USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), especially to support the peer counseling program. 9. Instruct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to recommend that all hospitals achieve the Baby-Friendly designation. 10. Ensure that emergency management agencies are trained in breastfeeding support and have breastfeeding supply kits available for distribution in emergencies.

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Copyright © 2008 United States Breastfeeding Committee. All Rights Reserved.
2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800 · Washington, DC 20036-3309
202/367-1132 · 202/367-2132 (fax)
office@usbreastfeeding.org

0-25 of 13040 signatures

Number	Date	Name	Location	Add a personal comment to your signature (optional).
13040	November 20, 2009	Cynthia Ballard	Columbia, SC
13039	November 19, 2009	max bernardi stachowicz	shoreham, NY	My Mom Exclusively Breastfed Me. Rock On La Leche League Moms And Babies! Annaliese Dettleff, Max*s Mother
13038	November 19, 2009	Kendra Hansard	Davie, FL	I personal breastfed my oldest daughter until she was over 2 years old, and am now breastfeeding my 15 month old. I allow them to decide when it is time to stop. WEAN is a FOUR Letter Word!!! There needs to be stricter laws protecting breastfeeding mothers and their children when divorce and separation are inevitable! No one should be allowed to tell any mother that she cannot breastfeed or her child that they are not allowed to breastfeed!
13037	November 19, 2009	Shameka Monroe	Columbia, SC
13036	November 18, 2009	Jentri Jollimore	West Swanzey, NH
13035	November 18, 2009	Val Snowdon	Keene, NH
13034	November 18, 2009	liz pacilio	dublin, NH
13033	November 18, 2009	Caroline Kenney	West Hills, CA
13032	November 18, 2009	Amber Vazquez	Blythewood, SC
13031	November 18, 2009	Stephanie Milotte	sullivan, NH	I have two daughters and have been blessed to be able to breast feed them both. Breastfeeding is such a foundation to start our children off with... Thanks to all of the supporters out there...
13030	November 18, 2009	Tara Sullivan	Hudson, MA
13029	November 18, 2009	Angela Church	West Chesterfield, NH
13028	November 17, 2009	Emily Grier	Peterborough, NH
13027	November 17, 2009	jessica howard	Keene, NH
13026	November 17, 2009	Stephanie Ritchie	Stoddard, NH
13025	November 17, 2009	Raina White	San Antonio, TX
13024	November 17, 2009	Raina White	San Antonio, TX
13023	November 17, 2009	arlene ortiz	belleville, NJ	support women and childrens health - thank you
13022	November 17, 2009	Jennifer Glover	Saint Louisville, OH
13021	November 17, 2009	Deborah de Winter	New York, NY
13020	November 16, 2009	Patty Janicek	Downers Grove, IL
13019	November 16, 2009	Judy Oppelt	Neenah, WI	Please look out for our children- the next generation- make a commitment to helping breastfeeding moms.
13018	November 16, 2009	Tasha Phifer	Charlotte, NC
13017	November 15, 2009	max bernardi stachowicz	shoreham, NY	breast is best! breastfeeding is great for mother and baby...what an absolute treasure. know your rights ladies...there are several states that have great laws for lactating women and women who exclusively feed their babies breast milk who pump at work. NYC is the best place to pump and work.
13016	November 14, 2009	stephanie Brown	Lafayette, LA	Solve future health care problems by promoting breast-feeding. Let's get the results of breast-milk research in front of all Americans to help our country!

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