Under a new rule, all new or recently-renovated public buildings in New York City will be required to provide diaper changing stations that are accessible to everyone.
Mayor Bill de Blasio last week signed into law a bill under which new or heavily-renovated buildings including bowling alleys, theaters, museums, and areas where merchandise is sold such as shopping malls, will need to offer diaper changing stations.
The changing stations must be provided in all public restrooms, regardless of gender.
Parents Need Access To Safe and Sanitary Spaces
The primary sponsor of the bill, councilman Rafael Espinal stated that mothers and fathers both need equal access to spaces for changing diapers.
In a statement the lawmaker that that he had realised the need for diaper changing stations in public bathroom after observing a father changing his daughter’s diaper “on an unsanitary sink in a public space.”
He said that both parents must “have equal access to sanitary and safe spaces” for changing their baby’s diapers.
Co-sponsor Councilman Dan Garodnick noted that finding a place to change diapers while “out and about in New York” could be “as challenging as the Hunger Games.”
He added that the legislation would be “a major relief for families”, adding that safe and sanitary spaces for providing care for children “must be the norm for all parents.”
