Parker Stands Up for Breastfeeding Mothers
HARRISBURG – On Monday, an amendment was introduced in the House which would require breastfeeding women to get a “Certified Letter from a Doctor” in order to be excused from jury duty in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Rep. David Parker (R-Monroe) stood up and questioned why our Commonwealth’s laws should add this extra burden on nursing mothers when right now so many counties in the state simply require mothers to notify the court that they are breastfeeding or caring for a pre-school aged child to be excused from jury duty.
“My wife is a breastfeeding mother, and over the last 14 years she has been called for jury duty while nursing one of our daughters,” Parker said. “At that time, all she needed to do was notify the courthouse of that fact and she was excused. Under the amendment proposed Monday, she would have to get a certified letter from her doctor in order to be excused. It’s ridiculous to ask mothers of newborns to take their perfectly healthy babies to a doctor’s office to get a certified letter, simply because they choose to breastfeed their babies.”
“County courthouses have been providing such an accommodation for years, but now it’s as if we are saying breastfeeding is comparable to an illness or disability that requires a doctor’s note,” Parker said.
The House resumed session on Monday and began the process of approving emergency state funding legislation that had already been passed by the Senate last week. The amendment was proposed on
Senate Bill 210, legislation that would excuse persons 75 and older from jury duty.
“While my focus is on fixing school funding and reducing school property taxes, I needed to speak up when I saw a well-intended amendment about to hurt the very people it seeks to help,” Parker said. “I am hopeful the Senate can fix the bill before it becomes law.”
Representative David Parker
115th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Charles Lardner
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clardner@pahousegop.com
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