Museum tells Mom: stop breastfeeding in public or leave

It's still shocking to me each time a story like this crops up:  A couple of days ago in Albany, the Kelly family was visiting the New York State Museum with their three young children, age 5, 3 and 4 months.  While breastfeeding the youngest, Kristen Kelly was approached by a museum employee and told to move to the washroom or leave. 

Nice.  Everyone loves feeding a baby in the crapper.  Oh sure, the have a chair in the wc but that's not the point.  Why was she asked to stop breastfeeding and to move to the loo (twice)?  Why was she made to feel like she was doing something "wrong"?

The museum stance to the media is there is "no such policy prohibiting breast feeding anywhere".  Yet when the husband called to complain, he was told by a museum spokesperson that "he was not surprised Kristen was told to stop".

My guess? This wasn't the first time it's happened.

Kristen Kelly felt insulted and humiliated from this event but stood her ground.  She didn't go to the ladies room.  Instead she finished under the stare of the employee who had come around again. 

In my opinion, the Kelly family did the right things.  They stood up for the right to breast feed anywhere in public which is the law in New York.  They contacted the museum to complain, to let them know the employee's actions were wrong.  Concerned with the reaction they received, they contact the media.   I'd probably do the exact same thing.

That's what the league is all about, fighting injustices against the practices of mothering.

In an interview with NBC affiliate WNYT, Kristen said

"I have a right to feed my child where ever I want to feed him".

Way to go Kristen, stick up for your rights.  The League will be definitely be following this story to make sure justice prevails.

P.S. Hey, whoever that employee was at the Museum of New York? You Suck.

guest post by motherbumper

Comments

[FireMom]

Mmm, classy! Nothing like trying to expose your children to some culture and getting slammed with our own culture's issue with breasts and feeding babies. Sigh.

Good job, Kristen! And BOO to the employee!

[Tami in NY]

This museum deserves a breast fest sit in like I've heard breast feeding moms have done at Victoria Secret and other places.

[Angela]

You know what's really ironic? It was a freaking museum. How much do you want to bet there were plenty of paintings, sculptures or exhibits (not sure what kind of museum it was) that showed breasts? And probably showed them in a sexualized way instead of a feeding the baby way. Sigh. You'd think folks would have gotten the memo: Breastfeeding protected by law-Back off.

[Heather B.]

As a native of Albany who was exclusively breastfed all over the damn city, now I'm a little annoyed. Also, when this happened I mentioned it to my mother who told me that she once breastfed my brother in that very museum!

Apparently things have changed in the last 22 years.

[Sue]

Um.

The kid is 3 years not 3 months old.

[Carolyn]

I live in Albany. This has been all over the news. The baby IS 4 months old. Today, a dozen or more breast-feeding mamas went to the lobby of the museum to feed their babes. Hurray!! The mother who was originally told to leave said today on the news that she may have been mistaken about whether or not the person who told her to leave was a museum employee, but she is certain that it was a State employee and should not have happened none-the-less.

[Carolyn]

Oh, and, interestingly enough, there is a display (Native Americans, I believe) that shows a mother breastfeeding her baby.

[motherbumper]

Carolyn, thank you for the update. Rock on for that those breast-feeding mama supporters who did the nurse in. New York State allows BF in all public places and that's the law.

[b]

Seriously? This is getting ridiculous. Should we also wear tented shirts when we are pregnant b/c a pregnant belly will obviously lead someone to think of the sex we had? News flash to the public: Babies drink milk from boobies. Get over it.

[Rachel]

I am a mother of three children, all of which I breast fed as infants. I always nursed my children where ever I was, because babies want to eat when they WANT to eat. No one wants to give their baby a bottle in the bathroom, let alone nurse them in the bathroom where countless people have been yada yada yada! I always gelt offended when people made rude comments "why don't you do that somewhere else" etc, when I was fully covered with a blanket and no one could see any portion of my breast what so ever. It's perfectly natural and that's what they are ment for, but societies need to expose womens breasts and turn them over to being nothing more than the benefit of gratification is disgusting, but that is completely acceptable over a mom feeding her baby? I'm glad they stuck up for them selves!!!
Rachel
www.soaps-n-suds.com

[Melissa]

Thought you might be interested to know that a bill to reform the CPSC (S. 2663, to be amended by substituting the text of S. 2045) will be on the Senate floor this week. You can look up the text of the legislation and get a summary via http://thomas.loc.gov

Basically, the bill would authorize add'l funds for the CPSC, increase their workforce, increase fines for violations from $5000 to $250000, increase criminal penalties. Also some whistleblower protections.

If you have any readers in SC or OK, they might be interested to know that Sen. DeMint and Sen. Coburn are opposing the bill over the whistleblower provisons, provision of corporate information, and increases for state power to enforce product safety rules.

[Melissa]

I guess I am chiming in for no real reason other than I breast fed my children TILL THEY wanted to stop. That range was 16mo. to 3.5 years. I personally could care less if someone else thinks that it is wrong, out of place or not a good time! The reality of a toddler nursing is that they are not demand feeding every 1.5 hrs. I think that its the most wonderful thing I have ever done for and with my children. I have never hesitated to nurse or to shut down negative comments. I guess if it helps anyone else who stumbles on here as I did. The older your nursing child gets you just shut down the negative and know you are doing what is right for you and your child. I would hate for someone to say in front of my very smart 3yo how bad it was for her to still nurse. No need to negative comment me back as I will not follow this thread. Thanks!

Melissa

[Rivka with a capital A]

Harassment of nursing mothers will only stop when nursing mothers start sueing (and winning). If an institution know that they can be sued for asking a mother to stop nursing, then they won't do it. Until then... nursing moms just have to keep holding their ground.

[Gettysburg Mom]

I'm late with this comment, but amazed... I'm originally from about an hour North of Albany. The real kicker is that woman are permitted to go topless in New York State parks. So, you can go topless for fun at a state park, but you can't nurse at the museum???

[michellew]

I've seen the 'facebook sucks' and other buttons on some blogs, but it wasn't until I came here and read through some of your posts that I really got the details behind them. I immediately added one to my blog.

This story, and so many others like it, are just pathetic. I had a similar issue arise while nursing my last baby in a mall. I was asked if I could "excuse myself to the restroom to nurse". I replied that I'd be happy to go feed my baby in the bathroom if the woman making the request would go get her lunch and join us in the stall. Needless to say, she did not, and neither did we.

Fight the ignorance, mommas!

[R Fernandez Leal]

N.Y. Labor Law § 206-c (2007) states that employers must allow breastfeeding mothers reasonable, unpaid break times to express milk and make a reasonable attempt to provide a private location for her to do so. Prohibits discrimination against breastfeeding mothers.

N.Y. Civil Rights Law § 79-e (1994) permits a mother to breastfeed her child in any public or private location. (SB 3999)

N.Y. Penal Law § 245.01 et seq. excludes breastfeeding of infants from exposure offenses.

N.Y. Public Health Law § 2505 provides that the Maternal and Child Health commissioner has the power to adopt regulations and guidelines including, but not limited to donor standards, methods of collection, and standards for storage and distribution of human breast milk.

[Shaniia]

Well, truthfully. If I went on vacton to a museum, and had to explain to my 3 young children; who by the way is not breastfed, why somone has their shirt pulled up and their breast out, I think that's enough history there. I don't care if someone breastfeed's their child. I just don't want to see it. Don't they make clothes that are compatible for breastfeeders? USE them!!! I don't want to see anyone's nipples!!

[Polly]

Sorry. You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. Help me! Please help find sites for: Mills pride bathroom cabinets. I found only this - bathroom cabinets nashville tn. Mirrors are frequently used in interior decoration to create an illusion of space, and to decorate and amplify the apparent size of a room. I have always used my bathroom medicine cabinets for things such as hair gels, my own house, I will be sure to buy a cabinet just like the one that I have now. Thanks for the help ;-), Polly from Egypt.

[Padded nursing bras]

Thank you for the post, i am impressed, keep posts like this coming, will be back again.
Martina

[Ameda ultra]

Thanks, i liked this one!

[Anna D.]

In other states -- for example New York and California -- specific civil statutes address breastfeeding in public and grant women the right to do so. Being denied that opportunity means a woman can sue for violation of her civil rights.
Under current federal law, a woman has the right to breastfeed in public on any federal property or within any federal building.

"At La Leche we have small cards printed up that women can hand out to anyone who questions her right to breastfeed in public. The cards state that it is a woman's legal right," says Carol Huotari, IBCLC, a certified lactation counselor and manager of the Breastfeeding Information Center at La Leche League International in Schaumberg, Ill.

Federal Law
Soon the rights of breastfeeding women across the United States may get an even bigger boost thanks to The Breastfeeding Promotion Act, a bill introduced in May 2005 by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)

Bouchez, C. (2003) A Mom's Right: Breastfeeding in Public Breastfeeding in public is legal, but common sense and a little discretion go a long way. WebMD. Retrieved on February 3, 2010 from website: http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/public-breastfeeding-tips.