Following enactment of the Georgia Lactation Consultant Practice Act, which would require all lactation care providers to apply for a license to practice and limit licensure to IBCLCs, the Institute for Justice recently sued the state of Georgia on behalf of Reaching our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), claiming the statute violates the state’s consitution.

The new law is set to go into effect July 1. At that time, of the state’s approximately 1,100 lactation care providers, less than half would qualify for a license since CLCs, CLEs and others would be prohibited from practicing. ROSE, which seeks to improve access to care for Women of Color and those in rural areas, stressed its concerned about the disproportionate impact on these groups in an article in The Telegraph.

Moreover, fewer babies are breastfed in Georgia than in almost every other state, and the state has the sixth-highest rate of infant mortality. By reducing the number of lactation care providers, the new law will put even more babies at risk.

The state has filed a motion to dismiss the case.