Public Act 093-0942
 
SB3211 Enrolled LRB093 21218 RXD 47323 b

    AN ACT concerning health.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Right
to Breastfeed Act.
 
    Section 5. Purpose. The General Assembly finds that breast
milk offers better nutrition, immunity, and digestion, and may
raise a baby's IQ, and that breastfeeding offers other benefits
such as improved mother-baby bonding, and its encouragement has
been established as a major goal of this decade by the World
Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund. The
General Assembly finds and declares that the Surgeon General of
the United States recommends that babies be fed breastmilk,
unless medically contraindicated, in order to attain an optimal
healthy start.
 
    Section 10. Breastfeeding Location. A mother may
breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private, where
the mother is otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of
whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during
or incidental to the breastfeeding; however, a mother
considering whether to breastfeed her baby in a place of
worship shall comport her behavior with the norms appropriate
in that place of worship.
 
    Section 15. Private right of action. A woman who has been
denied the right to breastfeed by the owner or manager of a
public or private location, other than a private residence or
place of worship, may bring an action to enjoin future denials
of the right to breastfeed. If the woman prevails in her suit,
she shall be awarded reasonable attorney's fees and reasonable
expenses of litigation.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.