Protect the right to Breastfeed in Public
My goal is to help make laws in all of the 50 United States that not only protect a woman's right to breastfeed in public, but also protect breastfeeding woman from harassment.
According to http://www.ncsl.org/ Thirty-nine states have laws with language specifically allowing women to breastfeed in any public or private location. Many states do not actually protect breastfeeding mothers from the harassment they often go through while breastfeeding in public.
In order to fully protect a woman's right to nurse in public a law should contain language stating that a mother can nurse anywhere a mother is authorized to be, public or private and should also exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws. To further protect a woman's right laws should be in place that make it discriminatory to deny the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodations to a woman because she is breastfeeding a child.
Mothers do not breastfeeding in public to embarrass, or offend people. Mothers breastfeed their babies because babies are not patient or willing to wait until it is convenient for them to be fed. No mother should be forced to sit in a dirty bathroom or hide away in shame just so they can feed their baby. Some mothers are unable to pump milk due to supply issues, making bottles impossible.
Please support a mothers right to breastfeed in public by helping to make laws that protect them.
My goal is to help make laws in all of the 50 United States that not only protect a woman's right to breastfeed in public, but also protect breastfeeding woman from harassment.
According to http://www.ncsl.org/ Thirty-nine states have laws with language specifically allowing women to breastfeed in any public or private location. Many states do not actually protect breastfeeding mothers from the harassment they often go through while breastfeeding in public.
In order to fully protect a woman's right to nurse in public a law should contain language stating that a mother can nurse anywhere a mother is authorized to be, public or private and should also exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws. To further protect a woman's right laws should be in place that make it discriminatory to deny the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodations to a woman because she is breastfeeding a child.
Mothers do not breastfeeding in public to embarrass, or offend people. Mothers breastfeed their babies because babies are not patient or willing to wait until it is convenient for them to be fed. No mother should be forced to sit in a dirty bathroom or hide away in shame just so they can feed their baby. Some mothers are unable to pump milk due to supply issues, making bottles impossible.
Please support a mothers right to breastfeed in public by helping to make laws that protect them.
This petition is to help lawmakers make/change laws in states that offer little or no protection for breastfeeding mothers. Please visit http://www.ncsl.org/ to see the states that have already made the move to help breastfeeding mothers and those that need more work.
Thank you for your time and support!
Do you or would you nurse your child in public?yes
I breastfeed my son in public (repspectfully and not showing too much) and fully intend to until he is weaned. We don't have the right to tell other people where and when they should eat, so why should we do that to a little baby?
Please support breast feeding- a natural and healthy way to feed our children.
Yes, I will nurse my child in public.
The law should protect a womans right to breast feed, anyone offended by this, should keep in mind that women have been breast feeding a hell of a lot longer than people have been offended by it.
Babies need to be granted the same rights as any human being. They deserve the best care a mother can provide. Mother's need to be protected to make this choice without fear.
I do nurse my child and/or express milk in public.
Breastfeeding a child is the most natural and selfless act a mother can do for her child. Life is already difficult and being a mother is already challenging. No mother should have to find a place to hide to nourish her child in the way her body was designed. And no woman should have to retreat to a public bathroom! Few adults would want to go into one and have a cup of coffee or eat a bagel... yet an infant with an underdeveloped immune system is supposed to go to a public bathroom with the stentch and germs of feces, urine and menstral blood and eat! That is filthy, unhealthy, and unreasonable. Mothers should have the right to breastfeed in any place she is legally entitiled to be.
My son is now seven. I breastfed him for ten months. I breastfed him whenever he was hungry... in Burger King, sitting in the back seat of my car during a shopping break, in Wal-Mart, or walking around Sea World. I had a small blanket I draped over my shouder which made it discreet and comfortable for everyone around me. I was lucky in that I never had to deal with discrimination or people who did not accept my right to do what comes naturally as a mother. This is my wish for all mothers.
I would definitely nurse my child in public. There is no reason not to.
Our fathers fathers and mothers mothers were breastfeed. Formula companies reap billions a year in profit by making mothers feel that their breast is inadequate. The sexualization of women in society has led to the decreasing value of woman as a nurturer and a life giver, rendering her a one dimensional trophy who is expected to surrender the welfare of her infant to overpayed and over-charging doctors. Females in our society are under-educated about the nature and history of raising infants according to our natural instincts. We have replaced everything natural about our lives and every system Mother Nature has given us with systems designed by greedy people eager to line their pockets with our money, even at the cost of human life. Breast milk is tailored to the infants stage of life. Even premature infants can be fed breast milk, and this breast milk is higher in immune boosting antibodies and living cells to protect the fragile child until it can fend for itself. A full term infants breastmilk is tailored to its needs as well. The mother's body is prepared to take care of the baby for its coming months and years. It is not subject to human error, like formula. Formula is a word that denotes SCIENCE. Which is studied by humans in futile attempts to usurp nature. Formula changes yearly, with things added or taken away. Do you want someone tinkering with your child's food during their most delicate stage of life? NO!!! Trust mother nature! She's knows the REAL FORMULA. And she's been taking care of infants since the FIRST ONE WAS BORN!
Absolutely! I am lucky enough to live in a state that legal protects a mother's right to breast feed. I would sue if someone discriminated against me for it.
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Do you or would you nurse your child in public?
I can't believe this is actually a debate. It is a human right to eat, and it should be the right of all mothers to feed their children when hungry. I truly believe that only a selfish idiot would restrict a mothers ability to feed her child the healthiest and most nourishing food available. They should have been so lucky to have had mothers that cared for them so well.
I would and do nurse my child in public. And it happens when it is necessary, not at the convenience of any gawkers. Feel free to look or turn your head as you please.
I've been breastfeeding my son for almost 10 months now. It is more than just a means to feed him. The strength of the bond it creates is amazing. My first son never would latch on and he and I have a strong bond too, just different, and both great in there own way! I have received alot of pressure- even from those close to me- to stop breastfeeding and the reasons to breastfeed far outweigh the reasons not to. I am not a huge breastfeeding advocate, and feel to each his own, but I think if you make the choice to breastfeed your child, something that takes alot of work and alot of time, noone should have the right to tell you that it is not allowed.
I do breastfeed in public, but always using a nursing cover... not so much for my own comfort and because if I didnt whoever I am with would ultimately freak out! They do as it is if my cover slips even an inch!! Some woman go around with shirts cut lower than I am allowed to show breastfeeding and have it be "acceptable." It really is sad. As my son gets older its harder to have him covered and feed in public. Breastfeeding already takes alot of time... to have to go sit in a bathroom or a small room doesnt seem right. Its sort of like punishing someone.
The is a very natural thing that has been happening for many years all over the world.
Yes
Breast feeding is the most natural thing in the world to do and something society should accept and encourage. People should see the nursing mother and understand that what she is doing is giving her child the best start in life but instead of applauding the mother for persevering and learning what can be quite difficult task, people are embarrassed and feel they have a right to tut and glare. I believe the likes of 'Jordon' and 'Page 3' have caused people to only see the breast as a sexual object. What gives these people the right to behave like this? If they feel uncomfortable they can always turn their heads!! In a time when we are getting bombarded with messages to eat natural and be green it is completely ridiculous that mothers are discouraged or made to feel awkward from doing what is the most natural thing in the world!!
Yes
Breastfeeding our children is one of the best decisions that we as parents can do for them. I have nursed all 3 of my children and would do so again if I were to have more. It is wrong for society to want to take this from mothers. Breastmilk provides a higher quality of nutrition than formula, provides an opportunity for mother and child to bond, and is much more cost effective than having to buy formula than lugging around bottles of water and powder to mix. Nursing is natural and it is sad that so many people are close minded about it. It not only benefits the child, but the mother as well. Nursing help to decrease the incidents of breast cancer and the list is so long about the benefits of nursing for both child and mother that it is good that everyone does their research instead of listening to stereotypes and being so blind to the truth.
I have breastfeed in public and would do it again. I am not a person to go open shirt and be tasteless about it. Things can be done discretely and appropriately. When your baby needs to eat, why deny him or her because of other's close mindedness? If a bottle is ok, why not the breast?
I do nurse my child in public...proudly.
Yes.
In this world of political correctness and support of trivial offenses by other groups for an expression I feel that the most natural form of feeding a child should be protected above all the other crap we defend in this country.
In this world of political correctness and support of trivial offenses by other groups for an expression I feel that the most natural form of feeding a child should be protected above all the other crap we defend in this country.
Breastfeeding is God (or Mother Nature's, depending on your belief) intenteded use for breasts. When people get over their hangups about breasts being sexual, the world will be a better place.
I have breastfed 4 children...whenever and where ever they need. My infant needs to be fed when he's hungry...society's issues are their own. Help change society by breastfeeding in public, and encouraging other mothers to do so as well.
I nurse in public and any harrassment is disgraceful.
This is such an important issue for so many reasons. Women are being harassed about something so natural, putting them in stressful positions and even ending up in arguments while trying to feed their babies. Also by stigmatizing breastfeeding it is helping to discourage women from breastfeeding. With all of the benefits of breastfeeding, and with the risks associated with formula feeding that is the last thing we need to be doing. Aside from the fact that women shouldn't have to fight for the right to feed their babies!
I nurse in public, and have actually had a confrontation with a women who threatened to kick me out of a theme park. Luckily I knew my state laws, and they protected me, but their are states that I wouldn't have been protected in.
I have been nursing, and nursing in public, since the birth of my first child more than 4 1/2 years ago. I am now tandem nursing my second and third children (ages 3 and 7 months, respectively). I nurse in public, not because I enjoy putting on a display or anything else, but simply because babies need breastmilk, whether we at home or elsewhere!
I am in a visitation battle right now where the father of my child wants me to stop breastfeeding so he can have longer visits. People need to think about the best interests of children. I am one of the cases that you spoke about above who physically can not pump my milk. I love breastfeeding my son and feel like it is a right as a mother and a privalige!
I have nursed my child in public and will continue. I love the bond that it has created for the two of us.
Please don't allow to society to pervert something as natural and beautiful as breastfeeding!
Yes.
BREASTFEEDING IS NATURAL AS HAVING A BABY. IF YOU CHOOSE TO HAVE A CHILD, BREASTFEEDING SHOULD GO RIGHT ALONG WITH THAT CHOICE. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY OUR ELDERS FED THEIR CHILDREN.
I HAVE NURSE IN PUBLIC AND CONTINUE TO NURSE. IT CAN BE DONE DISCREETLY AND I AM NOT ASHAMED, THE BENEFITS TO BREASTFEEDING FOR MY CHILD AND MYSELF FAR OUTWEIGHT THE SHAME.
I often breastfed my babies in public. FYI, it can be done very discreetly, and I sometimes had people admire my baby without noticing I was breastfeeding (and I was a 40I at the time).
yes
This is a natural act and should not be discriminated against!
I am not a mother but when I do have kids in the future will breastfeed all my children for two years as it is my husband's wish and is more beneficial to both baby and mother. It's just wrong when women who can't breastfeed or choose not to breastfeed try to ban other mothers to nurse their kids in public or even tell breastfeeding mothers to go to the bathroom so they don't have to see anything. You people don't have to look. It's not like these women are showing their breasts in public on purpose. Many breastfeeding mothers only expose a little breast becasue the rest is in the baby's mouth. How would these people feel if you were told to go eat in the bathroom. It is a filthy dirty place and unhygenic. I wonder why people have forgotten that God created breasts for nursing infants. Not to be sex objects. Also the women who do breastfeed in public usually are kind enough to cover with a blanket. It is a violation of our human rights and freedoms to ban breastfeeding in public. And for those people who say that children will look and ask questions children always ask questions about everything.
Yes I would nurse my child in public.
I agree that women should be able to breastfeed in CERTAIN places. Personally i dont want to see ppl breastfeeding its kind of weird and not too mnany ppl want to see that. Instead of public, they should have certain places that are comfortable, allowing the mother to breastfeed there rather then in some park with 20 million ppl grossing out. By making acomidations your not imposing breatfeeding on ppl.
I dont have kids yet, but if i did i certainly wouldnt do it in front of the world. I'd rather do it somewhere comfortable and private.
yes
Nursing mothers need to be treated equal. They can nurse with a blanket and people don't have to stare.
I have 2 children ages 8 and 3 and I have nursed them both when I was in public.
I see no reason to hide my childs meals any more than I hide my own from anyone. I wasn't often in public during my sons mealtime when I was still nursing him, but when I was, he ate! I will do the same for any future children I have.
We are proteced here in RI, but it NEEDS to be that way EVERYWHERE in the US!!!
I nurse in public, and I wish someone would say something to me, they would get hell! I've never expericance any comments, I did have a woman walk by MY car and glance in the window while I was nursing my baby and she rolled her eyes and shook her head. The nerve of her!
Absolutely! I did and would again. Are you kidding me with this?! I cannot believe that this is even an issue.Some right-winged, wacko man must be behind this.
No mother should EVER be on the receiving end of snide remarks or harrassment because they are doing the best thing for their child. I urge law makers to be aware and able to speak to the health benefits to mother and child of breastfeeding. I also want to bring their attention to the fact that even though no big company is making money from breastfeeding mothers, the benefits far exceed the personal health benefits, to include lower carbon imprint on the planet. Breastfeeding my child should be a right protected by law.
I nursed my infant in public frequently, and intend to again, with my child due in six months.
No woman should have to hide to feed their child, nor should they be made to feel ashamed.
Yes I have and I have been ridiculed for it. In the ICU waiting room of a hospital no less.