Got Milk?

Breastfeeding Controversy

Civil Rights – Nursing mother Simone dos Santos was yet another victim of a serious women’s rights violation. As she was feeding her four-month-old in the empty hallway of a D.C. government building, she was interrupted by two guards who demanded that she stop feeding her child—because it was indecent, Santos says she was wearing two jackets and covering the feeding site (if you will) with a cloth—apparently it’s lewd to do such a thing.

She blogged, “I was shocked, upset and angry that by providing food for my son, I was being treated like a criminal.”
Santos, who just happens to be a lawyer, knew full well that she had the legal right to breastfeed in public. In fact, 28 states, including D.C., exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws.

She said, “I called my law firm to ask for pro bono assistance and an associate who could immediately research whether there was a law regarding breastfeeding in public. I wanted to get the name of all of the guards involved, and finally got a name and number of a supervisor before I was called into the room for the hearing on the parking ticket. I’ve since learned that the guards were completely wrong and had no right to stop me from nursing my infant son.”

Dos Santos filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights. Her case in currently under investigation.
She told ABC7, “We as nursing women have rights. It’s a natural, legally protected process and people need to understand that.”

Read More At HuffPo