WASHINGTON, Oct 04 (Reuters Health) -- Breastfeeding cannot be banned on federal property under legislation signed by President Clinton last week. The right-to-breastfeed provision was included in the annual spending bill for the Department of Treasury and the Postal Service. The law prohibits the use of federal funds to "implement, administer, or enforce any prohibition on women breastfeeding their children in Federal buildings or on Federal property." It was added to the measure at the urging of Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who earlier this year introduced the "Right to Breastfeed Act."

This summer, at an event to underscore the need for the bill, Maloney was joined on Capitol Hill by several women who said they had been asked to leave the National Gallery of Art and other museums if they did not stop breastfeeding their babies.

"Although many states have already passed laws to protect breastfeeding in public, women on federal property have been asked to leave museums, public parks, and even the US Capitol Building," said Maloney in a statement. "Experts tell us that breastfeeding is an essential practice for ensuring infants receive the nutrients they need to develop. I am proud that the federal government is setting the standard of welcoming a woman' s decision to breastfeed her child in our nation's capital and other federal property," she said.