Does Target Believe They are Above the Law When it Comes to Breastfeeding Rights?

I’m getting real tired of hearing stories like these. Stories where nursing moms are being denied their basic right to feed their babies in public. Even more incensing, in most, if not all cases, these moms are  using nursing covers, blankets etc. to cover their babies as they nurse. These are the moms that are accused of offending the public with “indecent exposure”, where there is no exposure to be found.

After a frustrating and harassing experience, at Target, a mom shares her story with Best for Babes:

I am a mom of 4 who has been harassed and humiliated by Target employees for nursing by infant in their store. On Thursday, November 29th around 7-8pm, I was Christmas shopping with a basket full of items when my infant woke up hungry, so I found a remote area of the store in the ladies clothing department close to the fitting rooms and sat Indian style on the floor next to my basket and a display of jeans and nursed my hungry baby with a blanket completely covering him. Briefly I will say that 2 female employees came and verbally asked me to move. The 2nd one told me that Target employees had been told/trained to interrupt nursing and to redirect mothers to the fitting rooms. Even after I informed the 2nd employee of my legal right to nurse in public she still suggested me moving closer to the jean display, turning to face another direction, and also turn my basket a certain way which would have put me practically underneath the jean display and totally barricaded me in. ….

After I left the store I decided to call the Target corporate office during normal business hours the following day on November 30th, and speak to a guest relations person to notify them of the situation and to suggest that they educate their employees as to the legal right I have to nurse in public. The phone call however took a turn for the worse. The lady (I wish I would have gotten her name) told me that she and Target were aware of our legal rights as nursing mothers, but that Target has different policies because they are a family friendly public place. I can’t think of a more family friendly act than breastfeeding and providing the irrefutably proven healthiest diet to my baby. She continued to inform me repeatedly that Target’s policies were different than the law and even went as far to say several times that just because it is a woman’s right to nurse in public even without a nursing cover like I was using doesn’t mean women should walk around  ”flaunting it” and was extremely rude. I also talked to the supervisor of this rude lady and that didn’t get anywhere either. Read the entire article.

If Target indeed trains their employees to interfere a breast feeding session, and it seems as if the corporate representative confirms this, then Target is clearly scoffing at a mom and baby’s right to feed in a public setting.  That is amazing to me. 

This is what offends many who are against breast feeding. They simply cannot intellectually handle the fact that breasts have a natural, functional  purpose other than sexual pleasure. And no, you do not support breast feeding, if you place restrictions and ban a mom and her child to seclusion at the appearance of nursing. And no, you do not support breast feeding when a nursing mom’s rights are ignored with full knowledge of the law. It is the epitome of discrimination.

To those who believe nursing moms have “flaunting” issues, I have this to say, “Have you ever had to deal with a crying, hungry baby while out in a public setting?” Then you understand, we are not in “flaunting” mode, but in a providing mode! Moms who bottle feed and nurse know that there is no appeasing a hungry child, other than to address it. Moms of both feeding choices are under pressure to take care of a basic, demanding need. Making immediate amends to take care of that basic need is not flaunting, it’s called being a GOOD mom. 

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