Stance on Breastfeeding
This cemetery is really beautiful and I get together with other mothers to walk the grounds regularly. Unfortunately, yesterday [c. June 26, 2014], we were harassed by their staff (of course a male) who was offended with one of the mothers feeding her baby in public.
She was even covered up, but his reasoning (yea right!!) was that if someone who lost their baby saw this, how would they feel??
My question to him, then maybe a mother shouldn't take a bench to give a sandwich to a 2 year old or lunch to a grandmother, because what if someone came along that had lost one of them??!
His response, "she should have some decorum!"
Decorum sir!!?!
Feeding your hungry child is not behavior in keeping with good taste, etiquette or decency!??!!!
It was him who was not having decorum; to harass a protected class, which in California, breastfeeding mothers are a part of!
So according to California Civil Code ? 43-53. 1997 Section 43.3 of the Civil Code:
43.3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a mother may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private, except the private home or residence of another, where the mother and the child are otherwise authorized to be present.
So without having a designated breastfeeding area, this man telling this mother to move was illegal and him questioning her decency for doing so was insulting!!
Mountain View Cemetery, maybe your staff needs to be informed about the law, before any future insult of this type leads to legal injury for you!
Mothers feeding your hungry babies in public, maybe we should keep the video recorders on our phones on when we do, so that next time we can send a viral message to educate men like this that get jealous over babies having access to the womanly parts that they covet!
