CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION in support of the Seventy-first World Health Assembly resolution on infant and young child feeding, affirming The City of Seattle’s recognition of breastfeeding as critical to infant and maternal health.
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WHEREAS, breastfeeding has been proven to reduce neonatal mortality, and is associated with improved nutritional, developmental, immunological, and social outcomes; and
WHEREAS, breastfeeding is linked to faster recovery from childbirth and reduced risk of acute and chronic conditions such as breast and ovarian cancers, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity; and
WHEREAS, suboptimal breastfeeding is associated with numerous adverse child health outcomes including frequent diarrhea, pneumonia, and increased mortality; and
WHEREAS, failure to promote breastfeeding coupled with inadequate attention to the safety of replacement formulas can have serious health consequences; and
WHEREAS, a 2010 analysis in Pediatrics estimates $13 billion in savings per year in the U.S. if 90 percent of families breastfeed exclusively for six months; and
WHEREAS, a 2013 study in The Lancet estimates that thirteen percent of all child deaths in lower-income countries can be prevented if breastfeeding is increased to optimal levels, and that over 800,000 infant deaths that occurred in 2010 are attributable to suboptimal breastfeeding; and
WHEREAS, international concern about declining rates of breastfeeding in the 1970s led health authorities to make a concerted effort to promote breastfeeding; and
WHEREAS, in 1981 the World Health Organization adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, which includes provisions preventing hospitals and birthing centers from accepting free or low-cost infant formula, providing free samples of infant formula to families, or advertising breast-milk substitutes; and
WHEREAS, over 500 hospitals and birthing centers nationwide have been designated Baby-Friendly using the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, including Swedish Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center, and UW Medicine Northwest Hospital; and
WHEREAS, a 2011 study in the American Journal of Public Health indicates that government breastfeeding promotion results in improved breastfeeding practices; and
WHEREAS, in 2010 President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to require employers to provide a suitable location and reasonable break time for employees to express breast milk; and
WHEREAS, in 2011 The City of Seattle (City) amended Seattle Municipal Code Section 4.34.055 to stipulate that employees who are eligible under FLSA to take breaks to express breast milk may do so without deduction of pay or paid leave balances; and
WHEREAS, in 2012 the City added as an unfair public accommodation practice in Seattle Municipal Code Section 14.06.030 the right of a mother to breastfeed her child in places of public accommodation free from discrimination; and
WHEREAS, the King County Board of Health in 2012 passed Resolution 12-05 supporting the incorporation of breastfeeding promotion and other health-related best practices into state standards for child care; and
WHEREAS, the City provided $2.3 million in 2018 to Public Health Seattle-King County for the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which provides pre- and post-natal assistance to low income first-time mothers, including help with breastfeeding; and
WHEREAS, in 2017 89 percent of mothers enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program (WIC) in Washington State initiated breastfeeding at birth, but only 51 percent of mothers enrolled in WIC in Washington State still breastfed after six months, which is below the national ten-year health objective (60.6 percent) established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and
WHEREAS, in light of continuing worldwide challenges in infant nutrition, health and development, the Seventy-first World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA 71.9 (Attachment A to this resolution) in support of breastfeeding promotion policies; and
WHEREAS, according to news reports the United States delegation at the Seventy-first World Health Assembly attempted to change WHA 71.9 by eliminating a passage urging member states to protect, promote and support breastfeeding, as well as another section urging member states to restrict the promotion of inappropriate foods; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:
Section 1. The City of Seattle (City) supports all local, national, and international efforts to halt inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children, and it will continue to engage in policies that promote breastfeeding to protect infant, young child, and maternal health.
Section 2. The City condemns the actions of the U.S. delegation at the Seventy-first World Health Assembly and urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of State under the Trump Administration to adhere to science-based policy and overwhelming global consensus in support of breastfeeding.
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2018, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2018.
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President ____________ of the City Council
The Mayor concurred the ________ day of _________________________, 2018.
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Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2018.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment A - Resolution WHA 71.9