Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Now that AB 57 has been sent to Governor Doyle for his signature, it may be helpful for all of us to write to him and let him know that we care about this legislation and want him to sign it.

Here is the address:

Governor James Doyle

P.O. Box 7863

Madison, WI 53707

Here is some background information that might help in composing a letter.  It doesn’t have to be lengthy.  We just need to let him know that many people care about this and it is important.  (Critics of the bill say it is not needed and it is a waste of time and taxpayer’s money for legislators to craft this kind of law when they should be concentrating on creating jobs, and that big government is trying to legislate all our behavior, and that people who want to breastfeed should do so in private, and that they personally never saw anyone being harassed for breastfeeding anyway) :

AB 57 was voted on in the Wisconsin State Senate on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 and sent to the governor for his signature.

The text of the bill is:

253.16 Right to breast-feed. A mother may breast-feed her child in any public or private location where the mother and child are otherwiseauthorized to be. In such a location, no person may prohibit a mother from breast-feeding her child, direct a mother to move to another location to breast-feed her child, direct a mother to cover her child or breast while breast-feeding, or otherwise restrict a mother from breast-feeding.

43 other states and the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands already have this legislation.  If you want details on this, see the National Conference of State Legislatures web site, with the laws on breastfeeding for every state at

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/breast50.htm

Previous law in Wisconsin exempted breastfeeding from the definition of lewd behavior, but did not protect the breastfeeding mother from harassment or being told to stop, leave the premises or cover up.  That law (AB 154) was signed by then Governor Tommy Thompson on March 22, 1996.

I mailed my letter today.

Anne Altshuler

dsulman@wisc.edu