Should Breastfeeding Be Allowed In Public?

It's the question many are buzzing about, after last week a Detroit bus driver threatened to kick a nursing mother off the bus unless she covered up.

The event has reignited the breastfeeding-in-public debate: Is it indecent exposure, or necessary given the important health benefits of nursing?

The Associated Press reported:

Breast-fed babies suffer fewer illnesses such as diarrhea, earaches and pneumonia, because breast milk contains antibodies that help fend off infections. They're also less likely to develop asthma, or even to become fat later in childhood. Nursing mothers shed pregnancy pounds faster, and if they breast-feed long enough can decrease their risk of breast or ovarian cancer.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says breast milk alone provides optimal nutrition for babies for about the first six months, the time when most babies begin solid foods, and that breast-feeding should continue to age 1.

What do you think? Does it make you uncomfortable to see women breastfeed in public? Should there be laws for, or against it?

Quick Poll

Should breastfeeding be allowed in public?

Yes

No

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WATCH: nursing Detroit mother, Afrykayn Moon, shares her story on YouTube:

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Comments

[isabella mendoza]

01:48 PM on 07/09/2011

Please tell us what happened in the case of the mom harassed on the bus. I would like to know if the bus company apologized and if the police took any action against them, because this should never happen anywhere any time, but especially with a mother schlepping two kids, two car seats and a stroller ON THE BUS! What a great mom she is.

[GTWiecz]

07:41 PM on 07/08/2011

Wow, I'm amazed anyone would even ask this question. How squeamish can Americans get?? I breastfed my 2 kids for one year each 20 years ago

[isabella mendoza]

01:51 PM on 07/09/2011

Me TOO!! Its like we are stuck in a time warp. I still want to know what ended up happening to her. At the very least she is owed an apology by the bus company. I just can't help but believe that this had to do with her color, at least partly.

[sunshine saguaro]

02:22 PM on 07/07/2011

Let's see, if you turn on the television at any given time you will see people having sex, people dying, completely unrealistic images of women and men flaunting cleavage, muscles, and tans, young female pop stars dancing like strippers in music videos, dead bodies on crime shows...did I miss anything? And we're worried about the possibility of seeing a nipple when a mom feeds her baby? WTF is wrong with us?!

[Paul West]

12:13 PM on 07/07/2011

Yes, of course.

[camanokat]

03:25 AM on 07/07/2011

Stupid question. When I was a nursing mom, I didn't care what anyone else thought. I nursed my children in bookstores, restaurants, the beach etc. I never had a negative reaction from anyone.

[Luis Guerra]

02:31 AM on 07/07/2011

just don't be all pissed off when we try and take a peek. as soon as it's out..it's fair game.

[isabella mendoza]

01:55 PM on 07/09/2011

pig

[Lynette1977]

01:09 AM on 07/07/2011

I wonder why no one is talking about the fact that men can-yes THEY CAN-BREASTFEED. (Google it. Men have mammary glands and can and do produce milk.) Now if men could breastfeed AND not wear shirts, why is this wrong for women?

[Lynette1977]

01:01 AM on 07/07/2011

Are we still having this ignorant conversation? Women have the inherent right to breastfeed and it is a matter of health and safety of the child to be allowed to do so. Google "the breast feeding crawl" and learn just how natural breastfeeding really is for infants. Why are we so aware and understanding of all other mammals feeding offspring except our own? There is simply no reason for disallowing it. Period.

[PunKinPai]

04:14 PM on 07/06/2011

Dumb question. If you're offended, don't watch. Last I heard we still had control over our own eyes.

[emulsifier]

03:22 PM on 07/06/2011

It is curious that the more developed we become, the more repressive we are when it comes to little issues like this, despite having granted women a person's rights. In most parts of the world, especially rural areas, breasts are hanging out feeding children like there is no care in the world. And within city areas around the world, this is less common.

Interesting, innit.

[SusanElizabeth1949]

04:45 PM on 07/06/2011

Different places, different cultures.

[mplsdiva]

02:54 PM on 07/06/2011

What a beautiful baby. Please feed your children whenever they are hungry.

[Jennifer Mead]

02:46 PM on 07/06/2011

If men breastfed there would be no debate. This is just an attack on women.

[Cuyahoga]

03:04 PM on 07/06/2011

No wonder you have so many fans! Did you ever read Gloria Steinem's article from years ago -- "If Men Could Menstruate." Do a search for it. You will laugh yourself silly and also relate to the truth in it.

[reasonshouldrule]

10:00 PM on 07/06/2011

Wonderful post,as always. Faved. (already a fan)

[Counterglow]

01:00 AM on 07/07/2011

Sorry for replying in a different spot to your comment concerning privacy. We're out of space in the other. The way it works most places is this: A person who is in a public place is fair game, with or without their permission, because they have no reasonable expectation of privacy. This doesn't apply to those who try to take "upskirt" pictures and the like, because it's clear that a reasonable person in a civilized society has an expectation of privacy with respect to what's clearly protected from public view. In the case of women who breast feed in public, things are less clear. Let's take a bus station for example. A woman who sits against a wall and quietly goes about her business probably has some expectation of privacy. One who sits down at the lunch counter for the same purpose probably doesn't. I can tell you how things work out in practical terms, because I live in Ontario. It's legal here for women to go topless. In practice, you don't see a lot of topless women wandering around. None, in fact.

[lovelybunchofcoconuts]

02:45 PM on 07/06/2011

Should they be allowed???!!! What a nerve!!

[GraceNotes]

01:55 PM on 07/06/2011

I have even heard some say that women should use a public restroom to breastfeed. My response would be, only if you take your lunch into the bathroom also, buddy!

[DuckysMom]

01:43 PM on 07/06/2011

WRONG QUESTION!
Right question: do governments and/or individuals have the right to restrict or prohibit BF in public places?