SENATE DOCKET, NO. 488        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1148

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Jennifer L. Flanagan

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to maternity patient rights.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Jennifer L. Flanagan

Worcester and Middlesex

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

Benjamin Swan

11th Hampden


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 488        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1148

By Ms. Flanagan, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1148) of Jennifer L. Flanagan, James B. Eldridge, Sal N. DiDomenico and Benjamin Swan for legislation relative to maternity patient rights.  Public Health.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1020 OF 2013-2014.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act relative to maternity patient rights.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 70E of Chapter 111 of the General laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting, after the 7th paragraph, the following new paragraph:—

“Any hospital providing maternity services in the Commonwealth shall fully support all mothers, upon admission, in their infant feeding decisions. This includes protecting maternity patients’ right to be informed and receive complete and culturally competent information and materials on all infant feeding choices. When maternity patients choose a method of infant feeding or medical needs necessitate a certain method, mothers shall be fully supported and counseled, whether exclusively breastfeeding, using donor milk, exclusively formula feeding, or breastfeeding and supplementing with pumped breastmilk, donor milk and/or infant formula.  Maternity patients and their health care providers shall have full access to breastfeeding and other infant feeding materials and educational information, including, but not limited to breast pumps and supplies, feeding supplies and bottles, and infant formula samples and preparation/storage instructions. For exclusively breastfeeding mothers, infant formula and feeding supplies shall be provided only upon physician order or patient request.”