Massachusetts State Legislature Passes Breastfeeding Bill

The bill, “An Act to Promote Breastfeeding,” is headed to the governor’s desk after being enacted by the Senate, said Senator Susan Fargo, the Lincoln Democrat who championed the bill.

Currently, women who breastfeed their children in public could be prosecuted for indecent exposure or lewd conduct. If convicted, they could even be forced to register as sex offenders, Fargo said. The legislation authorizes breastfeeding in public places and makes it clear it is not illegal.

Massachusetts has been one of three states in the nation without such a law on the books.

“For something that’s so healthy and so natural and supported by so many health groups, it just makes so much sense” to pass the protections for breastfeeding, Fargo said.

“No longer will mothers be forced to feed their children in the restroom of a restaurant or mall. ... Women who nurse should not be treated as second-class citizens,” Representative David P. Linsky, a Framingham Democrat who pushed for the bill in the House, said in a statement.

Proponents say breastfeeding is healthier for kids and thus reduces healthcare costs.