I trust you all heard about this story but just in case…read on:
On September 25th, a breastfeeding woman at a Piggly Wiggly in Columbus, GA was approached by an officer and told to cover up or be arrested.
When she got home, she shared her story in a post on Facebook. She explained that she informed the officer what Georgia state law was concerning breastfeeding but he went on to say:
“You just THINK you know what the law says and if your nipple becomes exposed I really don’t want to have to arrest you or you be arrested for being offensive. This isn’t like the first amendment where you can say something offensive.”
I then repeated what the GA state law says and told him if someone finds this offensive something is wrong with them.
For him to tell me once again that I just “think” I know the law.
He also pointed out how he could “already see my areola” and that if someone saw my nipple (even if I were trying to cover up) that he would have to arrest me and that he “really didn’t want to arrest me”.
In 2016 we can watch, on PRIMETIME, women walk down a catwalk nearly naked and invite the entire family, but when we see a breastfeeding mother out in public we are offended, disgusted and threatened. That simply must stop.
However, this rude and uneducated officer’s boss, who is the Sherriff, had the following to say on his Facebook:
“Good Morning,
I have seen and am aware of a post circulating Facebook, regarding a situation between a Muscogee County deputy and a woman attempting to breastfeed her young child. My wife and I have four children, each of whom were breastfed, and two of my daughters now have small children of their own. Therefore, I fully understand and appreciate the right of a woman to feed her child wherever she is most comfortable. It is also the law in the state of Georgia. We are currently looking into this incident and it will be addressed. Our office does not condone these actions and will ensure all officers know and understand the law. On behalf of the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, I would like to personally extend an apology to the woman involved, and we hope that she knows that these are not the opinions or practices of the office as a whole.”
Source: Fox 5 Atlanta
