A mountain of medical evidence shows that breast milk provides significant health benefits to both mother and child.
Tell the IRS they should follow medical opinion, not overturn it!
Dear Fawn,
When my son was a baby, my breast pump was such a fixture in our house that my husband and I started to think it was talking to us. As the engine hummed, he swore the pump said, “More milk!” and I conveniently heard it whisper, “Cookies, cookies!” Despite my love/hate relationship with that pump, I was grateful that it gave me the opportunity to follow my pediatrician’s advice and continue to feed my son breast milk while I was at work.
So imagine my (and millions of other mothers’) dismay upon learning that the Internal Revenue Service – yes, the tax folks! – had determined that “breast-feeding does not have enough health benefits to qualify as a form of medical care” and, as a result, will not allow breast pumps and supplies to be purchased using funds in pre-tax medical savings accounts.[1]
This decision completely defies logic! Particularly since every major medical authority, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months and support for breastfeeding for the first year and beyond.[2] These recommendations are based on the overwhelming evidence that it provides health benefits to both mother and child. And the Food and Drug Administration already considers breast pumps medical devices and regulates them as such.[3]
Time to re-think this one, IRS! Add your name to our petition calling on the IRS to reverse their decision on breast pumps now: http://action.momsrising.org/go/530?akid=2437.1697377.B9FjH6&t=3
Your signatures on our petition will let the IRS know that the public rejects their conclusion that breast milk is not a significant health benefit. And our grassroots muscle will provide critical back-up to the efforts of Senator Jeff Merkley (OR), Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (NY), and 41 other Members of Congress as they appeal to the IRS to reverse this decision.[4]
The medical evidence that breastfeeding is good for children’s health is overwhelming and pretty easy to find. Researchers have found that breastfeeding is beneficial for both mother and child. Children who are breastfed have decreased risk of infections, diarrhea, sudden infant death syndrome, obesity, type 1 and 2 diabetes, asthma, and childhood leukemia. Women who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, and postpartum depression.[5]
Not only did the IRS seem to ignore the mountain of evidence about the benefits of breastfeeding, they also appear to hold other products to a much lower standard! Currently, the IRS allows products such as acne cream and denture adhesives to qualify for tax breaks.[6]
Sign our petition reminding the IRS to leave medicine to the experts! http://action.momsrising.org/go/530?akid=2437.1697377.B9FjH6&t=6
Together, we are a powerful voice for women, children, and families.
– Ashley and the whole MomsRising Team
P.S. Check out MomsRising’s “Breastfeeding & Work” resource page: http://action.momsrising.org/go/531?akid=2437.1697377.B9FjH6&t=7 This page includes information about new protections for nursing moms at work, resources to share with your employer, and more.
P.P.S. For more analysis (and venting!) about this IRS ruling, check out Michelle Brandt’s fabulous blog, “Really, IRS?”:http://action.momsrising.org/go/532?akid=2437.1697377.B9FjH6&t=9
CITATIONS
[1] New York Times, “Acne Cream? Tax-Sheltered. Breast pump? No.”
[2] American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Breastfeeding Recommendations
[3] Food and Drug Administration, Breast Pump Information Page
[4] Congressional Letter to IRS Commissioner, November 23, 2010
[5] Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Breastfeeding: Maternal & Infant Health Outcomes
[6] New York Times, “Acne Cream? Tax-Sheltered. Breast pump? No.”
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