New courthouse measure provides relief to nursing moms

Share
Pinellas County Court in St. Petersburg
Pinellas County Courthouse. By Seán Kinane / WMNF News (Sept. 2018).

Listen:

Governor DeSantis signed a measure last week that would require courthouses to provide private, clean spaces for nursing mothers to pump or breastfeed. WMNF’s Chris Young reports that this is the state’s effort toward helping women in the legal system.

The measure exempts courts that are unable to comply at “reasonable cost” or require new construction. It was sponsored by Democratic Senator Lori Berman, and passed unanimously in March.

“Having this dedicated space would mean a private, clean, and accessible  space to nurse or pump breast milk, whether for attorneys, jurors, courthouse staff, and courthouse patrons.”

Alicia Jackson, law professor at Stetson University, says this is an important step forward for women in the legal system, especially working mothers in courthouses.

“When we think about the US labor force, women, mothers in particular are the fastest growing segment.”

She applauds the bipartisan support for this measure and hopes to see more legislation supporting working mothers.

“It’s a very very positive sign for children and families in the state of Florida”

The measure goes into effect January 1st.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

Leatherback Sea Turtle
Sea turtle nesting season is starting this month

Sea turtle nesting season is from May 1st through October...

“Talking Animals”: Callers & emailers are the guests

Occasionally, I jettison the chief component of the "Talking Animals" format...

Talking Animals: Veteran science journalist Stephen S. Hall recounts reporting and research that yielded Slither, singular book on snakes

Veteran science journalist Stephen S. Hall recounts how he approached...

A state legislator, Rep. Anna Eskamani, standing in the Florida state capitol, smiling, an wearing a lavender suit
Orlando Rep. Anna Eskamani talks taxes, the governor, labor, and more

Florida’s 2025 legislative session is going to overtime, but as...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Poetry Is
Poetry Is