When a woman was told to move to the bathroom of a Madison-area shopping mall to continue her breastfeeding, she took action and contacted state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison. The incident has since sparked new legislation, which was introduced Thursday.
The ""Right to Breastfeed Act,"" drafted by Risser and state Rep. Sheldon Wasserman, D-Milwaukee, would give mothers more freedom as to where they can breastfeed. The act will hit the legislative floor this session.
Women have been made to feel ashamed and embarrassed of their parental decision to breastfeed, according to Katie Prown of the Wisconsin Guild of Midwives.
""It's happening to mothers all over the state,"" she said.
Last fall, in a similar incident at Camp Randall, one woman was asked to go into a restroom to continue pumping her breast milk.
When asked how the proposed bill would impact UW-Madison sports facilities, Vince Sweeney, the senior associate athletic director for external relations, replied, ""I'm not sure that it would impact us in any matter.""
""If the legislation is aimed at preventing discrimination, we support that,"" Sweeney said. ""We don't believe we're in conflict with that [and] we don't feel that we've been discriminatory in that area.""
In contrast, Risser said he envisions the bill having a tremendous impact, not only for UW-Madison facilities but also for businesses statewide.
""It's good public policy from the standpoint of less discrimination,"" Risser said. ""It's also good from a health standpoint.""
Several states have already adopted laws specifically outlining a mother's right to breastfeed her child ""in any location where she is otherwise authorized to be,"" according to a statement from Risser and Wasserrman.
In addition, Wisconsin courts have previously established a mother's right to breastfeed. However, the only way to currently enforce that right is to bring a lawsuit.
""This law gives a remedy other than a lawsuit,"" Prown said.
Risser stressed that there are 30 authors on the bill, out of a total of 130 legislators, indicating a wealth of bipartisan support.
""The research is very clear that breastfeeding is very good for babies ... including all sorts of health benefits,"" Prown said. ""What we've found is that in the states that do have legislation protecting the rights over breastfeeding mothers to nurse in public, the overall rates of breastfeeding are much higher.""
