breastfeeding at the philadelphia museum of art

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a long-standing member of the Art Museum, and I am planning to make an additional contribution toward the effort to keep "The Gross Clinic" in Philadelphia. The Art Museum is one of my favorite places in the City, and my children and I are frequent visitors.

I am also a breastfeeding mother, a La Leche League leader, a member of the Philadelphia Breastfeeding Coalition, and an attorney. I was very disturbed recently to learn that a mother visiting the Museum was asked to move out of a gallery into a cold and drafty stairwell to breastfeed her infant.

Surely the Art Museum is aware that Philadelphia City Ordinance 1996 Amends Section 9-1105 of the Fair Practices Code, making it an unlawful public accommodations practice to prohibit a breastfeeding mother from, or segregate a breastfeeding mother within, any public accommodation where she would otherwise be authorized to be, whether or not the nipple of the mother's breast is covered during or incidental to breastfeeding.

I feel certain that the Art Museum does not have a policy on breastfeeding in public that knowingly puts it in violation of the Fair Practices Code. Therefore, I am assuming that this unfortunate incident occurred because the Museum has not adequately trained its employees about the Museum's legal obligation to allow mothers to breastfeed anywhere they please in the Museum.

If you have already implemented such a training program, please let me know so that I can rest assured that the Museum is in compliance with the law and supports breastfeeding mothers and their children. If you have not already implemented such a program, please let me know how I can be helpful in that regard. I would be very happy to put you in touch with attorneys and lactation educators who could not only inform your employees of the rights of breastfeeding mothers, but also the overwhelming public health benefits that accrue from the public support of breastfeeding.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Marta [last name deleted]



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Jeremiah 29:6-7