Arkansas Breastfeeding Bill Victory
April 2, 2007 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under activism, breastfeeding, law, nursing in public
Breastfeeding advocates in Arkansas scored a major victory this week as House Bill 2411 passed unanimously through the Arkansas General Assembly. Once signed into law, the legislation will modify the indecent exposure law to exempt breastfeeding. Arkansas Code Section 5-14-112 will have the following provision added to it:
(c) A woman is not in violation of this section for breastfeeding a child in a public place or any place where other individuals are present.
Even more exciting is a new provision protecting breastfeeding in public which will be codified as Arkansas Code Section 20-27-2001:
Breastfeeding in public. A woman may breastfeed a child in a public place or any place where other individuals are present.
According to the Chairwoman of the Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition, Governor Mike Beebe is expected to sign the bill within days and the new laws will become effective in July 2007.
does this mean that we can bf in lets say, a resteraunt w/o worry?
Hi Jessica! Yes, that’s how I read it.