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Breastfeeding in public is legal in all 50 statesacross the U.S., but it often doesn’t feel that way with the frequent stories ofmoms getting kicked out of places for nursing.
From a mom who was stopped from breastfeeding her 4-month-old sonin a hospital waiting roomto another who wasnursing at a Texas Roadhousewhen the waiter tried to cover her up with a napkin, it doesn’t feel like it’s actually accepted across the country.
But as of March 2018, when Utah passed a bill stating that mothers could breastfeed in any public place, covered or uncovered, it officially becamelegal in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
So what counts as a public place? It changes slightly from state to state, but it generally meansany space where the public has access.
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That includes grocery stores, restaurants, parks, public pools,airports, amusement parks (Disney included!) and many, many more spaces. Really, the only spots it doesn’t include are private residences.
There are a few spaces that are definitely public, but where moms may beunsure if it’s legal to nurse. In April and May, two different moms spoke out after they werestopped from breastfeeding at their older child’s elementary school. In both cases, the women were volunteering at the school and had to bring their younger babies along, who then needed to nurse.
An elementary school is a public place and both women were fully within their rights to breastfeed there, covered or uncovered, but they were told to move to a private area. Both shared their stories on social media and in news outlets to raise awareness, and one of the moms, from Kentucky,is now suing her child’s school district.
All moms should feel confident that they arelegally allowed to breastfeed in any public spot, covered or uncovered, regardless of what anyone tells them.
source: people.com
