Breastfeeding Controversy at Chick-fil-A

Photo taken by ABC News 6 Knoxville

Breastfeeding has always been a topic of controversy for as long as I can remember. My mom didn’t breastfeed me, however I did breastfeed all three of my kids. And if I could still breastfeed them, I probably would. No, I’m joking..that would just be creepy. But I am saying that I loved the connection I had with my children while breastfeeding.

There is a natural bond that takes place with a mother breastfeeds her child. A unity of the most beautiful and unique kind. Dads don’t get the privilege of this bond. Grandparents don’t get the privilege of this bond. Siblings don’t get the privilege of this bond. It just mom and baby. There’s nothing more joyous than cuddling your sweet precious baby while providing natural nutrition. The moments shared of baby looking up at its momma and grinning, while milk spills out of its mouth. The beautiful sounds of cooing as if thanking its mom for the selfless care she is give to her little one. Unless you’ve been in that position, you won’t get it either.

Because this is such a beautiful thing, then why is there such a big hoopla over the act? Does it really gross some people out to see a mother nursing her child? Well apparently there have been quite a few business establishments that have been under scrutiny for chastising moms who nurse in public.

On recent controversy happened in a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Knoxville, TN. According to ABC News 6, a group of 20 nursing mom staged a “nurse-in” when one mom was told to stop nursing her baby because other parents were afraid to let their children play while she was feeding her baby without a cover-up.

“Just as I was finishing up, an employee came up and told me other parents were afraid of letting their children play while I was feeding her, especially without a cover,” mom Jennifer Day told ABC News 6 in Knoxville. So she rallied other lactating pals, who decided the protest would be an effective way of letting folks know that the state law — which allows women to breastfeed anywhere, public or private, where they are “otherwise authorized to be present” — is on the mom’s side. (quote taken from http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/chick-fil-a-nurse-in-stands-up-for-public-breastfeeding-171256622.html)

Apparently this is just one incident that has happened recently and more and more nursing moms are forming groups to stage “nurse-ins” at business establishments that create a controversy.

According the same article referenced above, it is not illegal to breastfeed anywhere in the US, however the laws are not strong enough to protect the nursing mom. In fact, if a business owner asked a nursing mom to stop and/or leave and she did not, then the police can be called and the mom could potentially be charged with trespassing.

“It’s not illegal to breastfeed anywhere in this country,” Jake Marcus, a Philadelphia-based lawyer and breastfeeding activist, told Yahoo! Shine. But, she explained, because of “poorly written laws” that, for the most part, have no enforcement provisions, the legal authority for a woman to breastfeed actually lies with the owner of an establishment in most states, including Tennessee.

“You have a right to breastfeed as long as the owner has given you the right to be there and to breastfeed,” Marcus said. So legally, if a proprietor asks a woman to stop breastfeeding and she does, then she can stay. If she doesn’t stop and is asked to leave but does not, a proprietor can then explain to the police that she is a trespasser and have her arrested. Only a handful of states, including New Jersey and Vermont, have enforcement provisions attached to their laws. http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/chick-fil-a-nurse-in-stands-up-for-public-breastfeeding-171256622.html

So, let me hear from you. What do you think about this controversy? How do you feel about moms nursing their babies in public places? Share your comments below…and please be nice. Let’s have a healthy and open discussion.

Until next time Divas, where your heels well!

Be Blessed,

Disclosure: Portions of the content within this article was taken from the original article located at http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/chick-fil-a-nurse-in-stands-up-for-public-breastfeeding-171256622.html. The picture is credited within the same original article and taken by ABC News 6 Knoxville.