Utah Governor OKs bill to exempt nursing moms from jury duty

Efforts to get more mothers to breastfeed their babies are paying off as 79 percent of moms in the U.S. begin nursing, and the health benefits for them and their babies are many. Photo credit: California Department of Public Health.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed a bill that exempts breast-feeding mothers from jury duty.

Spanish Fork Republican Rep. Mike McKell has said he sponsored the measure because a mother who lives in his legislative district reached out to him after she was required to serve on a jury while nursing.

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports 16 states and Puerto Rico offer a similar exemption to breastfeeding mothers.

Utah’s Republican governor also approved a measure Friday to bar discrimination against breast-feeding mothers at work.

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Online: HB 154: http://1.usa.gov/1vAtFTu

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