Moms Stage 'Nurse-In' to Protest Breastfeeding Limits

Nearly 200 promised to show up at Georgia event
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 23, 2011 3:54 PM CDT
Moms Stage 'Nurse-In' to Protest Breastfeeding Limits
Mothers are seen breastfeeding their babies during the synchronized breastfeeding worldwide event in Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007.   (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Last week, the city council in Forest Park, Georgia, limited public breastfeeding to children under age two. Today, 200 nursing moms and supporters will stage a “nurse-in” at City Hall to express their displeasure. "Breastfeeding women have to take a stand against laws like this or the laws will become even worse," the organizer tells WXIA Atlanta. "Next, they'll say you can only nurse infants up to the age of one."

The controversy stems from a public indecency ordinance aimed at protecting citizens from lewd acts in public. A single sentence exempts breastfeeding women—as long as the infants they’re breastfeeding are “under the age of two.” A Facebook page was launched in protest, which led to the nearly 200 women who promised to bring their babies to today’s event. The city manager says he finds the idea “cruel,” but adds that city is working to amend the ordinance. (Click to read about how breastfeeding moms and flash mobs recently came together.)

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