Breastfeeding In Public Is Finally Legal In All 50 States

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Breastfeeding In Public Is Finally Legal In All 50 States

It's 2018 and nursing mothers are still being called out and shamed for breastfeeding their children in public.

This year alone, there have been dozens of cases where women were humiliated and even threatened for trying to feed their hungry babies while in a public space.

Earlier this month, a manager of a Petsense store in South Carolina took to Facebook to post a rant in which she threatened to punch a breastfeeding mother.

"I'm not sorry - the next female that tries to whip her boob out to breastfeed in front of my kids will get a black eye, move that baby [because] I'll punch it too. #zerocare #why #inpublicletsjustshowkidsboobs #notmine."

The post didn't sit too well with people, and many commented their outrage over Carly Clark's controversial opinion.

"I am so offended by this! This to me threatens me and my child! I live in SC - I breastfeed whenever my daughter who is nine months is hungry wherever we happen to be," one Facebook user commented.

It may seem outlandish to some, but this type of reaction to breastfeeding in public is nothing new. Just last month, an Alabama mom was asked to cover her baby's head with a dish rag by a restaurant worker who found it "offensive" that she was breastfeeding at the table.

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Back in January, a mother, who desperately needed to pump milk for her baby, was told by airport staff to do so in the bathroom.

Even in there, she wasn't able to pump comfortably because a male attendant walked it on her.

Sadly, people's mentalities are tough to alter so the mom-shaming will continue for a while, but at least moms can now breathe a little easy knowing that the law is on their side.

While it has been legal in 48 states for sometime now, Idaho and Utah didn't have laws protecting breastfeeding women - until now.

The two remaining states finally signed the bills into law very recently, making public nursing legal in all of the 50 states.

The U.S. joins the ranks of Australia and U.K., where breastfeeding in public has been legal since 1984 and 2010, respectively.

"Personally, I find it disappointing that we're in 2018 and we still haven't passed this law in Idaho," Republican Rep. Paul Amador, who sponsored the Idaho bill, told the House.

d health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child. I also believe the health and nutritional choices of our families are best left as decisions for our families, not our government."

People on the internet echoed the same sentiments as Amador after the news broke.

In Utah, it took some hesitation and resistance before the bill, which initially said breastfeeding is legal "irrespective of whether the woman's breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding," was passed in January.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the wording was eventually altered after Republican Rep. Curt Webb voiced his displeasure over it.

"This seems to say you don't have to cover up at all. I'm not comfortable with that, I'm just not," Webb said. "It's really in your face."

However, the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Justin Fawson, argued that mothers should feel comfortable feeding their children anywhere at anytime.

"I would ask you when the last time you had a meal in a restroom was," he said. "I would say probably never. It's not a very comfortable place to hang out."

Of course, there are still many people who aren't pleased with the decision, but for now, many women across the country are seeing it as a victory that's better late than never.

Did you know breastfeeding was still illegal in Utah and Idaho until now? Let us know!

Blair isn't a bestselling author, but she has a knack for beautiful prose. When she isn't writing for Shared, she enjoys listening to podcasts.