The Law

While browsing about the Blue Nowhere this weekend, I found the National Conference of State Legislatures site that provides a concise summary of state laws regarding breastfeeding. Awesome.

I mentioned it before, but what is particularly disturbing about many of these recent cases where mothers are being to leave public places while breastfeeding is that they are in states that have laws to protect them! Why are mothers still being asked to leave? Is there something a mother can do? Therefore, I took it upon myself to call my local police department to discuss the best approach for dealing with a situation where a mother is illegally asked to leave a public place while nursing her child. Kansas law is pretty specific - it allows a woman to breastfeed in "any place she has a right to be." The police officer was very helpful and said the obvious - many folks are simply not aware of what the law allows. His recommendation was to carry a copy of the statute. If I were ever asked to leave a place where I "have a right to be", he recommended presenting a copy of the statute to the person. I do have a convenient card for this purpose, so it was reassuring to know that I am on the right track. It's a shame that it would come down to this, but I think his advice was correct. Furthermore, if this ever happens to me and if the person asking me to leave persists even after I show him/her the card, I guess I will then politely invite them to call the police.