Mothers stage 'nurse-ins' at Target stores after breastfeeding incident
Oh geeeeez... :roll:
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SOUTH JORDAN, Utah—
Nursing mothers are taking a stand against a major retailer after one Texas mother said she was humiliated by Target employees for breastfeeding her baby inside the store.
Moms from around the country are staging a "nurse-in" at Target stores, including a protest here in Utah at the Target in South Jordan. Another one is scheduled for a Layton Super Target.
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These mothers say they hope to spark discussion about breastfeeding in public.
"It is OK to nurse in public, it is normal," said Diana Baker, a breastfeeding mother. "We just want to get together with Target nationwide and say that Target as well as the nursing mothers are OK with this."
Baker openly nursed her child at the South Jordan Target as part of a nationwide movement.
Groups targeted their demonstration at the big box retailer because of the incident involving a Houston-area mother. Michelle Hickman claims she was harassed and humiliated by store employees after breastfeeding her 5-month-old son in a women's clothing section at a Target store in Webster, TX.
"As a family-oriented retailer, Target has a long standing policy to allow breast feeding at any place in the store," said store manager Kevin Nelson. The local Target manager says he was made aware of the nurse-in and supports it as a good way to educate their employees about the policy.
"I think it brings awareness to breast feeding and the benefits of it. And it gives us a chance to teach our team members the proper way to handle situations," Nelson said.
Nursing advocates applaud mothers for exercising their right. Christy Porucznik, a spokesperson for La Leche League of Utah, says the more discussion created about breastfeeding, the better.
"The biggest thing I tend to worry about is women who may be hiding inside, not going out, not interacting, maybe not fulfilling some of their family's needs because they're afraid of what might happen."
Many states, including Utah, have laws that specifically allow breastfeeding in public.
Wednesday's nurse-in is similar to one that took place last summer after a Utah mother complained about how she was treated while nursing in a Whole Foods store.
Source: http://www.fox13now.com/news/kstu-nu...,5034641.story