Here is a reminder that the new Rhode Island law protecting breastfeeding in public takes effect today, March 1, 2009. This law is in addition to the existing Rhode Island laws excluding breastfeeding mothers from disorderly conduct laws, and requiring employers to provide a safe, private place to breastfeed or pump.
The entire text of the enacted bill reads:
23-13.5-1. Breastfeeding in public places. – A woman may feed her child by bottle or breast in any place open to the public.
23-13.5-2. Remedies. – In any civil action alleging a violation of this chapter, the court may:
(1) Afford injunctive relief against any …read more

Good news for Rhode Islanders and breastfeeding advocates everywhere! In addition to the existing Rhode Island laws excluding breastfeeding mothers from disorderly conduct laws, and requiring employers to provide a safe, private place to breastfeed or pump, a new law has been enacted (it became effective without the governor’s signature last week). The new law takes effect March 1, 2009.
The entire text of the enacted bill reads:
23-13.5-1. Breastfeeding in public places. – A woman may feed her child by bottle or breast in any place open to the public.
23-13.5-2. Remedies. – In any civil action alleging a violation of this …read more

Starting July 1, 2008, a new Indiana law protects breastfeeding in the workplace. The law applies to businesses with 25 or more employees, as well as the state and political subdivisions of the state. Governor Mitch Daniels signed into law the legislation introduced by State Senator Vi Simpson. The enrolled act reads in part:
Chapter 14. Employee Breaks
Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, “employer” means a person or entity that employs twenty-five (25) or more employees.
Sec. 2. (a) To the extent reasonably possible, an employer shall provide a private location, other than …read more

Last April, Ruth Ellen Cummings nursed her 2-week-old baby in a Napanee, Ontario, Canada truck stop restaurant until the assistant manager asked her to cover up. Cummings didn’t have anything to cover the baby, and refused to use the napkin the manager offered. In an interview in the Bellevue Intelligencer, Cummings explained:
I was so upset because I was all alone and I felt everybody was looking at me. When my husband came back I told him ‘we have to go.’ … He thought I was kidding and I started crying hysterically.
After doing a little research on-line, Cummings decided to file …read more

What’s with the airline industry and its poor treatment of breastfeeding mothers and babies? An Australian woman booked a business class ticket to San Francisco on Qantas Airlines. For some reason, the airline’s booking agent advised the woman to put her baby on the ticket of her companion who was traveling in economy class. The agent assured the woman that the baby could visit business class whenever the baby needed to breastfeed, and the pair had no problems on the initial flight. On the return flight, however, flight attendants refused to allow baby Alexandra to visit business class to breastfeed, …read more

The poll results on carrying a copy of the state breastfeeding laws on nursing in public revealed that 11.4% of voters would like to carry a copy of their state’s law but they don’t have a copy. So I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk about how to obtain a copy of a particular state’s breastfeeding laws. (I assume the process would be much the same in countries outside the United States. A good place to start in the U.S. or elsewhere is with your local La Leche League leader, who would be happy to help). Because I have …read more

The people behind the Applebee’s nurse-ins now bring you FirstRight, a national grassroots organization dedicated to addressing incidents of breastfeeding discrimination, educating businesses and the general public about breastfeeding rights, and facilitating legislative change. The invitation to join FirstRights.org states:
Now is an exciting time for breastfeeding advocacy! The recent outpouring of activism and support for women and children who have been discriminated against has shown that people are passionate about defending the rights of breastfeeding mothers and children. Channeling that passion into positive, professional, and productive action is the purpose of a new national grassroots organization called FirstRight. FirstRight exists …read more

Some women carry with them a copy of their state’s law that protects breastfeeding in public. When breastfeeding mother Brooke Ryan was confronted by a waitress and the manager at a Lexington, Kentucky, Applebee’s, she presented them with a copy of the Kentucky law. After that incident hit the media, Ryan took criticism from some people who said that she was looking to start a fight. Those people cited the very fact that she had a copy of the law with her as evidence that she was out to cause trouble, not simply wanting to feel comfortable nursing her infant …read more

Wall Street Journal columnist Sue Shellenbarger recently tackled the question of whether there have been any changes in employer support for breastfeeding mothers. Shellenbarger wrote:
Employer support has risen; about 26% of employers offer such programs as a space to pump or access to a lactation coach, up from 19% in 2005, says a 2007 survey of 590 companies by the Society for Human Resource Management, Alexandria, Va. Support is mounting in state capitols; four states in the past two years have passed laws encouraging or mandating employer support for lactating mothers, says the National Conference of State Legislatures, bringing the …read more

Sophie Currier won her appeal for extra time to pump during the medical licensing exam. Appeals Court Judge Gary Katzmann ruled:
In order to put the petitioner on equal footing as the male and non-lactating female examinees, she must be provided with sufficient time to pump breast milk and to address the same physiological and other functions to which those examinees are able to attend
A Texas mother was not allowed to breastfeed her son in the Disney Store in the Round Rock outlet mall. Watch the video coverage to see how well the mother handles the interview and how she demonstrates …read more