The plenary of the House of Representatives has voted on a bill mandating mothers to breastfeed their children until they are six months old, as said bill is also intended to make breastfeeding mandatory and not option.
The passage of the ‘Breastfeeding, Regulation of Baby’s Food Bill’ following a report by the House joint Committee on Health, Ways, Means, Finance & Development Planning and Judiciary.
The is titled, “An Act to Amend the National Public Health Bill, Part XI, Chapter 51: Regulation for Making Goods and Other Products for Infants and Young Children, adding thereto Subsection 51.4(B)”.
The lawmakers through their deliberation Tuesday argued that it is the right of every infant to be breastfed up to six months by their respective mothers, noting that the bill is also designed to help “nurture a strong relationship between a mother and child.”
“Breastfeeding plays an integral part of human existence because it contains nutrients in the proper proportion which, if it must be replaced, should be done with a substance that serves the same purpose as breast milk, considering that it is imperative for the replacement of breast milk when there exist medical or other situations that threaten the survival of an infant’s or young child’s life,” the House’s bill disclosed.
The bill added that the primary goal is to protect and promote breastfeeding, as mothers are inundated with incorrect and biased information through advertising and unsubstantiated health claims. It says such a situation can distort parents’ perceptions and undermine their confidence in breastfeeding, with the result that far too many children miss out on its many benefits.
Meanwhile, Rivercess County District #2 Representative Byron W. Zahwea was the one who introduced the legislation to ensure that the marketing of requisite substitutes for breastmilk is properly regulated to avoid the import and sale of substances that might affect infants and young children.