Mothers Attempt World Breast Feeding Record In Fenton Saturday

Nursing mothers are lobbying for a stalled bill in the legislature that would allow them to breast feed in public. (This file photo shows Michigan moms trying to break the world record for breast feeding at one time in Fenton, Mich.)

(File photo)

Breast-feeding moms were at the state capitol this week and none too happy about legislation that has been in a House committee for about five months after breezing through the state Senate last year.

There are 45 states that allow public breast-feeding and Michigan is not one of them. This pending bill would change that.

Shannon Polk, who runs the Michigan Breast-Feeding Network, was wondering out loud if the House Judiciary chair, a man, was deliberately sitting on the bill?

“Women have a right to breast feed in public,” she asserts while adding, “We don’t ask anyone else to eat in a bathroom or eat under a blanket,” so why should moms with infants be told to do just that? she wonders.

There have been reports that nursing moms have been asked to leave businesses. Ms. Polk and company think that is wrong.

Frankly, so does committee chair Rep. Kevin Cotter (R-Mt. Pleasant) who has placed the bill on hold - not because he opposes it. On the contrary, “I have interest in it…I want to preserve the ability to breast feed (but) I want to get it right.”

What’s to get right?

Attorney Cotter wants to avoid writing a bill that will result in unintended legal consequences. For example, a restaurant patron complains to the manager that a mom is breast feeding. What to do? If the manager asks the mother to stop, the restaurant could be sued. But if the other patron is told to just live with it, that could spawn a legal suit.

“What are the teeth in this bill?” he wants to know and how can you write it to avoid that lose-lose situation for everyone, including the business that could end-up in court regardless of what it does?

Ms. Polk was so concerned about all this that she made sure at least two of the women lobbying that day were from Mr. Cotter’s district and they were prepared to tell him that they vote.

Message sent.

Message received. "I'm not trying to block the bill," Mr. Cotter explains but there's no indication on when and if the legal ramifications will be ironed out.



In the meantime, breast-feeding moms in public around here are on their own.