Running head: BREASTFEEDING LAWS IN IDAHO 1

Kalli Gillihan
2947 W. Balata Ct.
Meridian, Id. 83646
April 10, 2017

The Honorable Marv Hagedorn

District 14 Idaho Senator
5285 W. Ridgeside Street
Meridian, Id. 83646

Dear Senator Hagedorn,

I am writing this letter to respectfully request that you write a bill that would protect the rights of
mothers whom publicly breastfeeding in the state of Idaho to comply with the 49 other states and
the Healthy People 2020 initiative. Currently, Idaho is the only state that doesn’t have a law
protecting mothers from breastfeeding in public leaving them vulnerable to discrimination and
public indecency violations.

As a senior nursing student, I am very disturbed that the state I reside in has not yet taken
initiative to protect nursing mothers despite the extensive research that supports breastfeeding.
Not only is breast milk the optimal choice for infants to promote growth and development, it also
decreases common health issues in both mother and baby. This alone could save the United
States 13 billion dollars a year in hospital costs as well as preventative infant deaths.

Without a law to protect mothers from expelling their milk in public, it discourages mothers from
partaking in the World Health Organizations recommended 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding.
Drafting a bill that would protect the rights of Idaho mothers would be extremely beneficial for
the health of our population in the short and long run.

I thank you for all the work you have done this far as an Idaho senator and I hope you will
consider drafting a bill that would protect the rights of nursing mothers in public and private
locations to comply with the 49 other states and the Healthy People 2020 initiatives.

Sincerely,

Kalli Gillihan, Student Nurse