Doylestown to Discuss Breastfeeding Law

Mothers who want to breastfeed their children in public places in Doylestown would be protected from harassment under a new rule borough leaders are considering.

The borough's community and government affairs committee will discuss the proposed ordinance tonight. The public is encouraged to attend the meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at .

And while some may question whether a local law is needed, the man who suggested it says it is.

"You can’t get kicked out of a restaurant for being a lesbian in Doylestown, but you can be for breastfeeding your child. That seems like something we should fix," Det Ansinn told Doylestown Patch on Wednesday.

Ansinn is president of Doylestown Borough Council. He suggested at a council meeting on July 16 that Doylestown look into strengthening protections for nursing moms.

What council members found when they started to investigate the legal situation was disheartening, said council member Marlene Pray.

"Women have too many stories of fear and shame and humiliation around breastfeeding in public," Pray said Wednesday. "The success or failure of breastfeeding is directly related to child and maternal health, and the call to action from the Surgeon General himself says public policy that addresses that is imperative."

It is fitting that the issue is coming up for discussion now, Pray said, since August 1 - 7 is World Breastfeeding Week.

Pennsylvania does have a state law regarding breastfeeding but critics contend that the legislative process stripped it of any meaningful measures.

In 2007, Gov. Ed Rendell signed the "Freedom to Breastfeed" law, which specifically said that breastfeeding cannot be considered indecent exposure, open lewdness, obscene or a nuisance.

But breastfeeding supporters were disappointed that earlier versions of the law had been watered down. "A mother has a right to" was changed to "shall be permitted to." They criticized the final version for giving women "permission" to breastfeed in public but not the "right" to do so. Even the name of the law was changed from "Right" to Breastfeed Act to "Freedom" to Breastfeed Act.

The law also does not provide any remedy for women who are harassed or are prevented from breastfeeding, Pray pointed out.

Under one proposal Doylestown is considering, breastfeeding mothers would be added as a protected class, along with race, gender, and sexual orientation, to the borough's human relations ordinance. That ordinance created a volunteer commission to review any complaints about discrimination in Doylestown.

"If someone discriminates against a breastfeeding mother in Doylestown, she could then file a complaint with the borough and there would be a process in place to bring the parties together and educate and attempt to resolve the issue," said Pray, who chairs borough council's community and governmental affairs committee.

Borough council members are not considering fines or punishments or other penalties for businesses that violate the law, Pray said. Their goal is to educate borough businesses about breastfeeding in public and to give women who encounter problems somewhere to turn for help.

Only when women feel comfortable nursing in public will the country's social reality catch up to its stated public health policy goals, Pray said.

"If there is a public health issue and an important right that is not being protected in Doylestown, we should address it," she said.

For information or questions about the proposed ordinance, contact Pray at marlenepray@gmail.com or 267-879-2602 or Ansinn at detansinn@gmail.com or 215-771-8680.

Click here for more information on Pennsylvania's Freedom to Breastfeed Act.

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