Should babies have to eat in the bathroom?
A breastfeeding battle is being waged in Asheville, North Carolina, where Crystal Everitt was breastfeeding in a Denny's restaurant. The manager asked Everitt to cover herself or go to a private place to breastfeed her son.
Everitt was seated while she was breastfeeding, and some patrons sitting near her quickly left the restaurant. One woman who was there for brunch with her husband and son explained, "She was so exposed, my husband and son and I had to turn away. And then we left. On the way out I turned and said to the lady, 'They do have restrooms," and she said to me, 'Yes, you do your business in restrooms.' The woman told reporters she had nothing against breastfeeding, "I think God gave a woman her body to do that, but you should be discreet about it."
Denny's wanted to serve the woman, but also wanted to serve the other patrons. After Everitt refused to cover up or go to the bathroom, the manager called the Asheville Police to see what the law was. The police said that indecency laws did not apply to breastfeeding, but they could charge the woman with trespassing. Denny's declined to do so.
Forty states have laws specifically allowing women to breastfeed in public. In North Carolina, the law says, "A woman may breastfeed in any public or private location where she is otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding."
Everitt says her legal rights were violated and she is planning a demonstration against Denny's. She believes society should not sexualize breasts especially when they are used for the practical purpose of caring for the young. "It's incidents like these that keep women from breastfeeding for longer than a couple months because of the peer pressure to stay home," says Everitt.
What do you think about this incident? Do you agree with the mom that she should be able to breastfeed anywhere? Or with the Denny's customer that says breastfeeding women should go to the bathroom?
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Comments 199
I recently nursed in a restaurant but out of respect for other's around me and because I am not into exposing myself, even for nursing, I made sure I was sitting in the corner of the booth and covered up. People are eating and it's not that hard to toss on a nursing cover or a blanket. People get all defensive or women's rights, but other people have rights too. Keep it covered. I don't want to see anyone else's breasts, even if they are nursing. There is nothing wrong with being a lady about it. Geesh.
i don't reveal much when i nurse but that's not the point, here.
this mother in question had every right to nurse her child regardless of how covered or uncovered she was, that's just the law.
Wow, as the DIL of a retired Police Detective, I'm almost embarrassed of how stupid the police were in this instance. It is actually legal to breastfeed in public ANYWHERE in the United States. Those 40 states actually have laws with specific and further protections for it. If she was a willing, paying patron of the restaurant and BFing is a protected right, how in the WORLD were the police willing to charge her with trespassing? She should have been discreet because there are still too many people out there who blush when they see boobs feeding a child. Would I have left the restaurant as a fellow patron because I saw someones nipple? No way. Grow the hell up people and mind your own business. People are way too concerned with what others are doing, they need to worry about themselves. No wonder so many people are afraid of BFing in public. No matter where you go, there's always someone there just waiting to pass judgement on you.
That is horrible. Breastfeeding moms should breastfeed their babies wherever they want. I breastfed my youngest wherever I wanted to, I covered up only because I wanted to. When she was 3 months old she would have a fit, so I started nursing her without a blanket on. My SIL made a scene about it at Olive Garden, the manager came over and told me I can breastfeed wherever I wanted and if anyone had a problem with it to let him know.
I voted "Yes and discreet" but i do NOT agree with them asking her to go to a restroom. she should have been more polite and covered up a little. You don't have to even cover the baby's head to be discreet. i NIP all the time and half the time, no one knows what i'm doing because I use a sling. i dress to benefit discreet nursing, also. It's not very difficult to keep all of the mom's skin covered and not have to keep baby covered at all. NIP is a mutual respect thing--you be respectful enough to be discreet and the public should be respectful enough to look away if your discreet breastfeeding offends them.
hmmm. i totally agree that a woman should be free to nurse wherever they want. I don't agree with women who whip their boob out in public...completely exposed...get their baby situated...take their time, while their boob is still completely exposed and then go on to nurse. i saw a woman do this and i was in shock! her breast was just hanging out, no decency at all. i do believe that some women are trying to make a statement and they push it too far. i'm not saying at all that that is what this woman did, the only people who really know are the ones that were there. but i do think people try SO hard to make their point, that nowadays, everything gets pushed further than it should. it's kinda sad how so many people take everything to the extreme. idk...i have got too much other stuff on my plate! i'd rather be spending that energy on my kids :)
Kentucky is working on a law that would FINE people for interfering with a breastfeeding mother. I hope it becomes federal!
Breastfeeding is best, pumping is not realistic and telling a woman to hide is plain rude and sends the complete wrong message to her. When breastfeeding is ACCEPTED, no one will look twice. In order to accept it, we cannot be telling women to hide.
By the way, no matter how "discreet" a mother is, this stuff happened. In Georgia, in the summer when it's close to 100 degrees AND 100% humidity, I STILL covered up with a blanket because I'm modest about it... and I STILL had a restaurant tell me to leave when I asked if we could have the corner booth so I could be even MORE discreet! Apparently it was offensive to think about the IDEA of a baby nursing even under a blanket.
I think all people who say to go eat in the bathroom/blanket on the babies head should be forced to sit on a nasty toilet and eat their own lunch in there with a blanket over their heads! Morons!