Breastfeeding Women Now Exempt from Jury Duty

Jury duty is our civic duty (whether we like it or not), but according to a new bill passed earlier this week, breastfeeding women will have an exemption period.

In a bill passed this Monday, Governor Cuomo is giving an exemption from jury duty for two years to women who are currently breastfeeding, according to Spectrum News.

Cuomo is hoping that this will take any unnecessary added stress away from the mother and allow for new mothers to have as much time with their newborns as possible. He said, “While jury service is a critically important civic duty, we also know new moms oftentimes juggle countless responsibilities and navigate enormous adjustments in the early stages of their child’s life," he's hoping that this postponement will allow mothers the flexibility they deserve.

In order to request jury duty postponement, an applicant must have a note from their doctor verifying that they are currently breastfeeding and the applicant must not have already been excused from serving or postponed it already.