Tag Archives: nursing

Today’s Lady News: Michele Bachmann Bitches About Breastfeeding

Jessica WakemanFebruary 16, 2011 //

Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) opposed a change in IRS code to offer tax deductions for breast pumps and complained that First Lady Michelle Obama’s promotion of breastfeeding as an anti-obesity issue amounts to a “nanny state.” [Minnesota Independent, The Grio, The Root]
Amy DeLong , a lesbian Methodist minister in Wisconsin, is facing a church trial for being a “self-avowed practicing homosexual” and for performing commitment ceremonies for gays. [Advocate]
“House” actress Lisa Edelstein is starring in a commercial about abortion rights for the liberal organization, MoveOn.org, in which she says, “Decades ago, women suffered through horrifying back alley abortions. Or, they used dangerous methods when they had no other recourse.” The ad ends with Edelstein frantically searching through a closet looking for a coat hanger. [Huffington Post]

Jessica WakemanFebruary 10, 2011 //

Breastfeeding moms are holding a “nurse-in” at the Hirschorn Museum at the Smithsonian on Saturday after a woman who sat on a bench to nurse her daughter in January was told by a security guard to go feed the baby in the bathroom. A 1999 federal law states “a woman may breastfeed her child at any location in a federal building or on federal property, if the woman and her child are otherwise authorized to be present at the location.” Washington, D.C. also has the Child’s Right To Nurse Law, which allows a mother to breastfeed her baby in public. The museum has since apologized, both publicly and privately, and said it will welcome the “nurse-in” this Saturday. [NBC Washington]
Yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health discussed the “Protect Life Act,” which would prohibit federal funding for abortion under health care reform (which is already technically the case) and would also stop funding from being withheld from groups that refuse to provide abortions. Rep. Joe Pitts, a Republican from Pennsylvania, introduced the bill. Fellow Republicans say the bill would close up loopholes that enable abortion, while Democrats say the bill is a ploy to chip away at a woman’s right to choose. [Washington Post]

Jessica WakemanJanuary 12, 2011 //

A Christian legal group has filed a civil rights complaint against a Vanderbilt University nursing program for putting a statement on its application that informs students the program will involve interacting with women who may have just had an abortion and suggesting if they cannot handle that, they should consider applying to a different program. “It is important that you are aware of this aspect of care and give careful consideration to your ability to provide compassionate care to women in these situations,” the application states. “If you feel you cannot provide care to women during this type of event, we encourage you to apply to a different track of the Nurse Residency Program to explore opportunities that may best fit your skills and career goals.” The complaint was filed on behalf of an unnamed Mississippi woman. Two Tennessean law experts said Vanderbilt has not actually done anything wrong. [The Tennessean]