Marina Chavez sat in her car during her break and breastfed her baby. This simple act lead to her dismissal at work, something illegal in her state of California. Now her former emploer has been ordered to pay the mother more than $45,000 for last wages and emotional toll.
This case should have never happened in a perfect world. Chavez was protected by law to be able to breastfeed her baby during her break, yet her employer still felt that his uneasiness with breastfeeding somehow trumped her and her infant’s right. And he’s not alone. Recently a nurse in was staged in a Chick Fil-A after a breastfeeding mother was asked to leave. Another mom was asked to leave an Olive Garden for breastfeeding her toddler at the table. A mother at a science museum was told it was “immoral” for her to breastfeed her child in public. And a radio talk show personality made a public crusade against breastfeeding in public. These are just a few of the recent examples of what breastfeeding women face when they step outside their homes.
Currently 43 states have laws dealing with breastfeeding mothers in public. Twenty-four states have laws protecting nursing mothers who need to pump or breastfeed during their breaks. Yet time and time again we hear of mothers being asked to leave, being publicly insulted, and being harassed for doing something as perfectly normal as breastfeeding. Often the attacker claims the non-existent “right” to not see a breastfeeding mother in public, forgetting that this right exists as much as the mother’s right to not see the attacker’s face in public.
Breastfeeding mothers, and breastfeeding supporters, need to know the laws regarding breastfeeding in their state. Though it is deeply embarrassing when being shamed for breastfeeding, being able to state your exact rights under the law can help you. A brief lists of the laws in each state dealing with breastfeeding can be found here.
Related Reading:
2 Comments: Trackback URL | Comments RSS
August 25th, 2009 at 9:52 AM
Did you know that tomorrow is Women’s Equality Day? This post is so timely! Thank you for the link too!
August 25th, 2009 at 1:09 PM
My understanding is that it’s a federal law that women can nurse ANYWHERE that she’s allowed to be legally. So even in states that do not specifically have breastfeeding protection laws, a woman absolutely has the right to nurse in public.