-press release-

NEW GROUP FIGHTS BREASTFEEDING DISCRIMINATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jen Russo
TEL: 303-731-6639
E-MAIL: jenr@firstright.org

Despite being legal in every state and a specifically protected right in many states, breastfeeding in public continues to cause controversy. While breastfeeding in public places, many nursing moms and children experience discrimination in the form of being asked to cover-up, move to a more secluded location, stop nursing, or leave the premises.

"In a business setting, the employee is in a position of power over the customer who is a guest. A mother who has a crying, hungry baby may not feel empowered to argue, all she wants is to feed her child," says Shelli Zink of FirstRight, a new organization that aspires to ensure freedom from discrimination for breastfeeding mothers and children. FirstRight was formed in the wake of the nationwide Applebee's nurse-in events in September 2007.

FirstRight takes every reported incident of discrimination seriously, working quickly to connect with the mother involved and institute a course of action to remedy the situation. In most cases, correspondence is established with the organization in question and discussions to implement a breastfeeding friendly policy take place between FirstRight and the organization.

"Every case is individual, FirstRight is committed to helping every mother understand her rights, and find a resolution that works for her and her family. We are dedicated to helping breastfeeding mothers find and use their voice to stand up for their and their children's right to breastfeed," says FirstRight Task Force Advisor Chandra Ruiz.

FirstRight is compiling a national database of breastfeeding discrimination incidents from the last five years. This database will help to illustrate the pervasiveness of breastfeeding discrimination in our country and will help FirstRight to identify areas where action is needed most. Incidents that have occurred within the last three months will be considered for active case status to encourage that company to adopt breastfeeding friendly policies and ensure that women and children won't be discriminated against in the future.

"Our goal at FirstRight is to turn a negative breastfeeding discrimination experience into a positive opportunity for education and change," says FirstRight Advisory Council member Lindsey Nelson.

If you have a case of breastfeeding discrimination to report for our database or have a request for advocacy in a recent case of discrimination, please contact the FirstRight Task Force at www.firstright.org or via email at taskforce@firstright.org.

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If you would like more information on this topic or to schedule an interview, please contact FirstRight Advisory Council member Jen Russo at 303-731-6639 or at jenr@firstright.org.

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