Your Right to Breastfeed in Public, My Right to Be Apalled

An Argument for Discreet Breastfeeding

You, as a breastfeeding mother, have the right to lift up the front of your shirt exposing both breasts, remove your bra and let your children, regardless of age, nurse away. More specifically, according to the National Conference of State Legislature website: 

• Thirty-two states allow mothers to breastfeed in any public or private location (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Texas, Vermont and Virginia).
• Fifteen states exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws (Alaska, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin).
• Ten states have laws related to breastfeeding in the workplace (California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington).
• Ten states exempt breastfeeding mothers from jury duty (California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma Oregon and Virginia).
• Four states have implemented or encouraged the development of a breastfeeding awareness education campaign (California, Illinois, Missouri, and Vermont).
Meanwhile, I have the right to feel uncomfortable, and possibly even let you know. Do not get me wrong, I do respect a woman’s right to breastfeed in public. I just do not feel breastfeeding should be put on display.

I breastfed my kids discreetly:
I personally, breastfed two children over a period of three years. There were time when I breastfed in public. This usually involved unbuttoning my special nursing shirt with a horizontal opening beneath my breasts, throwing a baby blanket over the appointed shoulder and slipping the baby underneath so they could feed. I found it very easy to nurse in public without putting on a show.