Breastfeeding Debate (02/09/09)
An Asheville woman says she was asked to cover up or leave a local Denny's restaurant while breastfeeding her son, Sunday afternoon.
Crystal Everitt says an employee approached her at her table.
"She said you can stay if you're not going to breastfeed your child anymore, but if you're going to breastfeed your child, you need to leave," said Everitt. "And of course he still needed to eat, so I had to leave."
Asheville Police were called, but since baring a woman's breast is not illegal in North Carolina, no report was taken.
Everitt calls it discrimination.
An Asheville woman says she was asked to cover up or leave a local Denny's restaurant while breastfeeding her son, Sunday afternoon.
Crystal Everitt says an employee approached her at her table.
"She said you can stay if you're not going to breastfeed your child anymore, but if you're going to breastfeed your child, you need to leave," said Everitt. "And of course he still needed to eat, so I had to leave."
Asheville Police were called, but since baring a woman's breast is not illegal in North Carolina, no report was taken.
Everitt calls it discrimination.
"It's incidents like these that keep women from breastfeeding or feeding for more than a couple of months because of the peer pressure to stay at home," she said.
Managers at the Denny's refered News 13 to corporate headquarters. They did not return our call.
(I can't embed the video - follow the link.)
3 comments:
Does it clarify elsewhere that the manager is the one who called police? It just says the police were called. Couldn't it have been the woman who called the police on THEM? If she didn't she should have.
It was the manager - I'm sure she discusses it on the video interview on the link, but she's made it clear in the mothering internet forum she is posting to for support.
The manager phoned the police.
"I was told by the manager who came to our table, "you need to cover up". I stated that I would not do so. Like my son is going to allow me to cover his head while he eats! When she would not leave me alone about it I told her that breastfeeding in public is protected by law in Asheville NC.
SHE THEN CALLED THE POLICE!
Next thing I know, the cop is telling me that if I refuse to leave that I can be arrested for trespassing. She stressed I was allowed to breastfeed, but If asked to leave, that I had to. She stated this was because Denny's is private property.
I asked if I was being asked to leave and the manager said yes."
It's a well known weakness in the breastfeeding legislation in the USA. Anyone can be asked to leave anywhere, for 'trespass'.
http://is.gd/j8Mt Had to.
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