Our Family's First Nurse-In, Complete with News Coverage

Our Family’s First Nurse-In, Complete with News Coverage

Jun 03rd 2011

Earlier this week, a Dekalb area mom was harassed at a shop called “No Strings Attached” for breastfeeding her baby. The shop owner berated her and then told her to leave, which is an absolute violation of The Illinois Right to Breastfeed Act, signed into law almost seven years ago. The law in this state even goes so far as to allow the nursing mother the right to bring legal action against any business owner who tries to infringe on her right.

But that’s not the way the shop owner saw it. He decided his property rights outweighed this mom’s civil rights, so when a group of about 40 moms and dads showed up in front of the store for a Nurse-In on June 2nd, the owner’s friend stood out front with a counter-protest sign.

I took myself, my nursling, and my two boys on the hour-long ride out to Dekalb so I could show my support for the cause, and even created an event on the TFB Facebook page to help the organizers spread the word. We all met up at a hippy-dippy coffee shop called The House Cafe, situated across the street from the offending store. We were met by police officers who stopped traffic so that we could all cross the street to the store.

When I spotted the store owner’s friend and his counter-protest sign, I decided that we needed to have a little chat. I walked over and informed him that his position was a violation of the mother’s legal rights, and a little shouting match broke out wherein he tried to argue that he has the right to run his business however he wanted, and I explained that he does not have the right to violate the law. He said the law was “wrong” and I explained that this shop owner’s opinion of the law didn’t matter, and his behavior could get him sued. Then he said “But CHRISTIANS come in here!” and I said “JESUS WAS BREASTFED”. Then, he shouted some more stuff about “respect” and I tried to get him to read what the law says, which he refused to do, because he didn’t care about the law anyway.

The news outlets were there, and they caught the whole event on camera, including me yellin’ a whole bunch. *ROAR*

Here’s the WGN News story…

And here’s the Chicago Tribune video story…

Here are my little partners in protest, standing in front of the neighboring Chilton’s Sporting Goods, which proudly displayed their respect for nursing moms in their window:

Here’s a good picture of the crowd. You’ll see moms, dads, babies of all ages, and even some supporters without children.

Here’s me wearing my little Jolene, who slept through the entire protest (except when she half-opened one eye to sleep feed).

So what did we accomplish? Well, we certainly raised public awareness, but did we change the owners mind? Nope. He is still quoted in the Daily Chronicle saying, “When someone is exposing their breast in my store … I am going to ask them to cover up regardless of what their rights are, it’s inappropriate to be exposed.” When the Daily Chronicle reporter specifically asked him about the IL state law, the shop owner replied, “I am called to a higher law than that. It’s called the Bible. It’s called purity and family-oriented. Respect.”

Well, I’m sure a lawyer, a judge, and a settlement might show him that his biblical law isn’t “higher” than the laws on the IL books. The shop owner argued that he’s got property rights, but property rights END when they discriminate against others. Business owners do NOT necessarily have the right to refuse service to anyone, especially a group whose rights NOT to be discriminated against are specifically written into law.

This is the year 2011. One woman at the protest said she was attending Nurse-Ins thirty years ago. Will my grown children be attending Nurse-Ins in another thirty years?

If so, they got plenty of experience today.