A direct quote from the article:
When she asked, "So, you don't allow nursing in the mall?" a mall manager replied: "Not in public, we don't."
Basically, 11 women came together in the mall to form a breastfeeding flash mob. This is the state of Michigan, where public nudity laws does not apply to a woman breastfeeding her child. However, apparently there are no laws the specifically "allows" women to breastfeed in a public location (one of only five states to NOT have a law in place to "allow" breastfeeding women to nurse in public places).
Seriously, are we still having this same argument?? Seriously? If you are offended by seeing a woman breastfeed, then don't look. Would you make a woman feeding her child a bottle go hide in a bathroom or closed off area?
When will the five remaining states get with the modern day and create laws that protect breastfeeding women and their right to nurse their babies in public?
Here is a link to breastfeeding state laws and the breakdown of specific laws regarding breastfeeding: Breastfeeding Laws NCSL
I highly encourage you to become active in supporting breastfeeding for all women, in every state. Repost this blog post, write your own blog post, repost the article link (top of this post) on Facebook, Twitter, whatever pubic forum you choose. This is just ridiculous that this day and age women still have to fight for their right to nurse their baby in public.
5 comments:
It's sad that we even need these laws, but obviously we do. Shame on MI and the other states that don't have them.
Thanks for highlighting our troubles in Michigan. We also recently had an event on the public bus where a mom was harrassed.
I was told by the priest not to breastfeed, even in my car in the parking lot. I was enquiring where the women go to feed babies and he laughed and said the women would be mean to me if they saw.
I would like to see that same group of women, sit around and chat at this mall sans babies, in scantily clad tops. Do you think they would be asked to leave for their offensive attire that reveals more breast then feeding does? Never. For an advanced country, it is so depressing to see that we still SO far behind most third-world countries when it comes to FEEDING our babies!!!
I'll repost on my blog. I live in Michigan, and although I have never had problems breastfeeding in public, I can see it happening easily. There are so few of us that are brave enough to do it.
I never had a baby, but if I had, I would have breast fed him/her/them any damn place I wanted and I guarantee I would never have been relegated to some stinking restroom. One of the most beautiful things I ever saw occurred on the Woods Hole ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Two women looking so remarkably alike they HAD to be sisters had a passle of kids between them and two infants. One mom was trying to get her fussy baby to latch on but the child would have nothing of it. "Sister" took the child, lifted her blouse and popped that baby right on target and quieted him immediately. I thought this was one of the most lovely things I'd ever witnessed. Imagine what the law abiding, breast-o-phobes would do if they saw that? I do remember hearing my parents tell me about Irish immigrant women in South Boston sitting on their stoops breastfeeding...they also told me about "wet nurses" and that was what I witnessed on the ferry. It was an awesome act of love and trust
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