Posted on 01/04/2007 1:25:25 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Dane County mothers will be guaranteed the right to breast-feed in public under a law the County Board is expected to approve tonight.
The proposed ordinance prohibits anyone from interfering with a woman nursing an infant or pumping breast milk in a public place under county jurisdiction, such as the airport, the zoo or any stores or restaurants in unincorporated areas.
Anyone who violates the law would be subject to a fine of $10 to $100.
Sup. Carousel Bayrd, Madison, who sponsored the ordinance, said it isn't based on any specific local incident of a woman being told she couldn't breast-feed in public, but rather on "the overall stories of women who have been harassed or glared at or asked to nurse in the bathroom."
"It's to address that and to allow women to nurse without feeling that they're in an uncomfortable situation," Bayrd said.
Bayrd, who has breast-fed her own child in public places, including restaurants, stores and the Capitol Square, said mothers nursing in public try to be as discreet as possible, and aren't trying to promote any political agenda.
"When you breast-feed it's an intimate moment between you and your child," Bayrd said. "No one is nursing so they can have additional public nudity."
The ordinance hasn't generated any opposition and was unanimously recommended for adoption by three county committees after it was introduced last month.
The Madison City Council is considering a similar ordinance to protect a woman's right to breast-feed in public. The proposal was unanimously recommended at this week's Organizational Committee and may come up for a vote this month.
Ald. Robbie Webber, 5th District, said she hadn't heard any objections to the city ordinance, though she noted a similar statewide proposal sponsored by Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, died in committee last session. Risser said he will reintroduce the legislation this session.
Webber said studies have shown that exclusively breast-feeding infants can be healthier in the long run, but doing so in public can be uncomfortable.
"Obviously you have to have cultural support for that to happen," Webber said. "This is just another step that encourages something that has been proven to be healthy for both the mother and the child."
I'm only here for the funny.
One of them actually told my good friend who had a very low milk supply that she was doing harm to her child by going to formula. Some people need a life.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
LOL!!!!
I know plenty of women made to feel they were "bad" mothers and "incomplete" women because they physically couldn't breast feed, or it bothered them for some reason.
If they want to pass laws, pass one against 'The Nipple Nazis' and leave new Mothers alone. :)
Not a problem. It's inside food.
The proposed ordinance prohibits anyone from interfering with a woman nursing an infant or pumping breast milk in a public place under county jurisdiction, such as the airport, the zoo or any stores or restaurants in unincorporated areas.
When are these people going to get it through their thick skulls? Stores and restaurants are NOT public places. They are private businesses which INVITE members of the public to enter.
;)
While I don't think women should expose themselves in public (a nice blanket or a discrete corner always seemed to work for my mom) that's a silly comment. A baby who nurses every two hours can't always be kept at home. What about when the mom is running errands? Does she have to go home in between stops to nurse? What if she lives, say, 15 minutes from the stores she needs to visit? She'd probably have to go home twice to accomodate an afternoon's shopping. What's wrong with her sitting down in a quiet corner of the mall food court and covering herself with a blanket? How about church, does she have to stop attending services until the baby is weaned? What if she's waiting for her child's pediatrician to get around to them and the baby's hungry?
Hey! You know how I'm going to take up smoking just for the principle of it? To rail against these Nanny Staters?
Well, I think I'll take up breastfeeding in public, too! Now, I gotta go steal someone's baby, LOL! :)
(I imagine that bumming a smoke would be much easier, though...)
If the people that insist young mothers nurse their new babies are the "Nipple Nazis" what do we call the people that cringe at the sight of a nursing baby - the "Booby Burqa Brigade"?
(I imagine that bumming a smoke would be much easier, though...)
I guess that would depend on what upper age limit you're willing to accept for the baby to be breastfed.
I'm not sure which is more of a Nanny-state: (1) One in which women can breast-feed in public without being told to take it somewhere else; or (2) One in which anyone spotting a woman breast-feeding in public has the authority to go up to her and berate her, call her names, order her to go somewhere out of sight, or threaten her with charges of "public nudity".
considering what a pack is going for these days in a lot of places, bumming a baby might be easier :)
Only if you are prepared to tip generously.
Sex is an intimate moment between man and woman. You gonna do that at the table next to me while I'm trying to enjow my lunch as well?
____________
Does the sight of a woman breastfeeding really ruin your appetite? Other people eating?
That this topic can get so heated (not your post, just in general) is really surprising to me. So often on FR, the thinking is that too many people get too offended over silly stuff. PBF qualifies as silly stuff, IMO. But I did pop some popcorn for the show.
I can't believe you haven't commented on this thread. You know how I like to stay abreast of this type of story.
How long did you nurse your baby for?
It's real selfish to take your children to school and ball practice and gymnastics' class and to go grocery shopping and the pharmacy and the doctor. Be realistic with your two cents, please!
Now, just a minute. I breast fed both of my kids and I was a stay at home mom. But that doesn't mean you stay at home all day long. Thre are still chores to do. Discretion is the key.
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