Thursday, July 8, 2010

Take Action: Customizable Form Letter to Send When Your Breastfeeding Rights Have Been Violated

6:00 AM  Dionna @ Code Name: Mama  1 comment

Stand Up for Your Breastfeeding Rights

When you are confronted for nursing in public, do not be afraid to stand up for your legal rights. How can you do that? Here are a few ideas:
  • Carry a card that quotes the relevant breastfeeding laws. Be sure to visit NursingFreedom.org on Friday - we will be unveiling our own breastfeeding state law cards!
  • If you are confronted by an employee at a business or other facility (parks, government, etc.), talk to a supervisor. Calmly explain what happened, your right to nurse in public, and ask her to educate her employees about breastfeeding rights and benefits. Let her know you will follow up later.
  • If you are not satisfied with your in-person talk, call and talk to someone higher up.
  • Write a follow up letter to someone with authority. You can find a sample letter below.
  • Follow up to make sure they have given their employees education (or done something to remedy the violation).
  • If you cannot get anyone to work with you, you might consider staging a peaceful nurse-in.
We need to educate others about the rights of breastfeeding children and mothers. The next breastfeeding mother might not know her rights, she might not be confident enough to stand up for herself, she might even be discouraged enough that she stops breastfeeding.

Click here to view/download a sample letter that you can personalize and send when someone has infringed on your breastfeeding rights. The letter includes a place you can describe the incident, copy/paste your state's breastfeeding statute(s), benefits of breastfeeding, recommendations for breastfeeding by leading medical organizations, and a request for the business/agency to educate its employees.

You can see a personalized example of this letter at Code Name: Mama.

Have you ever sent a letter for a breastfeeding rights violation? We'd love to see it!

Please let us know if you use this letter and whether you get any results. We are here to help you advocate for your rights!

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1 comments:

Good to read! posted on our local NIP board!

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