In the 2010 HealthStyles survey, an annual national survey of adults in the United States, 32% thought it was embarrassing for a mother to breastfeed before others (CDC 2010b). While only 59% of adults said in 2010 that women should have the right to breastfeed in public places (CDC 2010b), this percentage is much higher than the 43% of adults who agreed with this statement in 2001 (Li et al. 2004). If a woman is breastfeeding in a public place or in a public place and there is no law protecting her right to this right, she may be asked to stop or leave. For the U.S. to meet the Healthy People 2020 breastfeeding goals (USDHHS 2010), mothers need support to breastfeed outside the home, whether at work or in public. The controversy over still photos continued after public protests and the growth of online membership in the Facebook group titled “Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene! (Official petition to Facebook) ». [85] In December 2011, Facebook removed photos of breastfeeding mothers and restored them after public criticism. The company said it removed the photos because they violated the pornographic rules of the company`s terms and conditions. [86] In February 2012, the company again removed photos of breastfeeding mothers.

The founders of a Facebook group “Respect the Breast” reported that “women say they are tired of people hitting what is natural and what they think is healthy for their children.” [87] The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with nongovernmental organizations such as the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), has played a major role in encouraging these government agencies to promote breastfeeding. As part of these councils, they have developed national breastfeeding strategies, including promoting breastfeeding benefits and seeking to encourage mothers, especially those under 25 years of age, to feed their children with breast milk. Section 517 (2019) of the New York State Judicial Act amends the Justice Act, provides an exemption from jury duty for breastfeeding women, and allows for the postponement of jury duty for that nursing mother until a certain period of time after the date on which such service otherwise begins. N.M. Stat. Ann. § 28-20-2 (2007) requires employers to provide a clean and private area and not a bathroom for nursing employees to express their milk. Also requires that the worker be entitled to pumping breaks, but does not require that she be paid for this time.

There is evidence that short breastfeeding and early introduction of cow`s milk can trigger pancreatic beta cell autoimmunity, leading to type 1 diabetes. Gimeno and De Souza (1997) found a moderate risk of type 1 diabetes in infants breastfed for less than 5 months and in infants introduced into cow`s milk products before 8 days of age. Kimpimaki et al. (2001) monitored the duration of exclusive breastfeeding in 2,949 infants at increased genetic risk of beta-cell autoimmunity up to 4 years of age. The results showed that infants who were exclusively breastfed for at least 4 months had a lower risk of seroconversion for type 1 diabetes than infants who were exclusively breastfed for less than 2 months. There is also evidence that breastfeeding results in lower plasma glucose levels than infant formula (Young et al., 2002). In addition, breastfeeding reduces the incidence of childhood obesity (Gillman et al., 2001; Kries et al., 1999), which may prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus. Young et al. (2002) conducted a case-control study of 92 diabetics and non-diabetics type 2 and found a significant benefit for infants breastfed for more than 12 months. Legislation can help remove these barriers to breastfeeding. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) became the first federal law in the United States to support breastfeeding (Public Law No. 111-148).

The legislation requires employers to provide breaks and a private space for milk for 1 year after the birth of their child. Although the adoption of ABA represents progress in promoting breastfeeding, most breastfeeding laws are enacted at the state level. Some laws support breastfeeding in the workplace, for example by providing breaks and accommodations for breastfeeding employees and prohibiting employer discrimination on the basis of breastfeeding. Murtagh and Moulton (2011) found that in 2009, 23 states and DCs passed laws to promote breastfeeding in the workplace. The authors noted that coverage and requirements varied from state to state and that most laws did not include enforcement provisions.