I’m a fairly social liberal. I think everyone should have the right to marry. I believe that a woman’s reproductive rights are nobody’s business but her own. I think that every child deserves a great education. I wish that every American had access to the kind of health care I have access to as a worker bee in large corporate America. But when it comes to the latest left-wing idea of offering tax breaks for breast pumps, I have to say enough is enough.
The government needs to stay out of women’s bodies. My uterus is off limits. And so are my breasts.
But if you really want to continue down this path, Mrs. Obama, then here’s three things you can do to increase breastfeeding in this country:
- Create paid maternity leave. We are the ONLY industrialized nation in the world that doesn’t offer paid leave for new moms. You want me to breastfeed? Then give me the PAID time to bond with my baby.
- Mandate employers create a safe space for pumping. In California, companies are required to provide a lactation room that isn’t in the bathroom or an electric closet. Unfortunately, employers aren’t required to give women the time to be able to pump which leads me to the next point.
- Include breastfeeding in pregnancy-related disability. Remember when a woman lost her job for taking unauthorized breaks to pump? Once mothers go back to work, we need the time to pump. Women shouldn’t be denied breaks or told they can only pump on their lunch hour.
Working mothers don’t need tax breaks on breast pumps. We need a shift in the consciousness of this country and how we treat working mothers. We need flexible employers. We need access to quality health care. We need affordable day care.
Once you’ve solved the real issues, Michelle, then we can chat about those very expensive pumping supplies.
While I agree with you that we need paid maternity leave and both the time and the place for pumping, I think providing tax breaks for breast pumps is a step in the right direction. After all, the government provides the same kinds of tax breaks for contacts and contact solutions, and even birth control pills.
Kristen, Thanks for the comment. I guess my point is that adding breast pumps to the list of acceptable FSA deductions doesn’t really solve anything. Not every American has an employer that has an Flexible Spending Account benefit or has enough medical deductions to take that line item on their tax returns anyways. If the purpose is to get more women breastfeeding, then lets solve the problems that prevent working women from BF’ing after they return to work.
I agree that there’s no end to the number of ways that maternity leave etc can be improved. I DO think that this is a step in the right direction too.
If you can get formula with government aid… (WIC etc) you should also be given financial help in order to breastfeed your baby. It seems to me that giving tax breaks for pumping supplies evens the playing field between free formula and breastfeeding.
Not every person qualifies for subsidized aide. Let’s face it… a government subsidy on pumps isn’t going to change a woman’s mind about BF’ing. It’s a very personal, un-political decision to chose to breastfeed, formula feed, or a combination of both. Furthermore, it doesn’t matter if that fancy $300 pump (which I do own BTW) is partially paid for with tax payer $$ if my employer doesn’t give me the space or the time to pump.