Breast-feeding in spotlight after nursing mom told to get off bus

istockphoto

(CBS) Is breast-feeding in public okay? America can't seem to make up its mind.

Doctors say breast is best, pointing to studies showing that breast-fed babies are protected against sudden infant death syndrome and various infections and are less likely to develop asthma or become obese.

But self-appointed champions of propriety sometimes get between babies and their mothers' breasts.

PICTURES: 9 places "they" say not to breast-feed

Case in point: In suburban Detroit last Friday, the driver of a bus told a 32-year-old mother she had to get off the bus unless she covered up while nursing her infant son, the Detroit Free Press reported.

"I had him in a football wrap," Afrykayn Moon of Taylor, Mich. told the paper. "She wasn't seeing much."

Even if Moon's breast had been exposed, the law in Michigan may have had her covered. A passage in the state's Home Rule City Act of 1909 reads, "A mother's breastfeeding of her baby does not under any circumstances constitute nudity irrespective of whether or not the nipple is covered during or incidental to the feeding."

And Michigan isn't alone. Twenty-seven other states, as well as the District of Columbia, exempt breast-feeding from public indecency laws - and D.C. and 44 states have laws that specifically allow women to breast-feed in any public or private location, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures website.

The bus company issued a statement saying its drivers would be reminded that riders are allowed to breast-feed, abc2news.com reported.

And Moon? She told the Free Press she was planning to get together with other moms at the bus company's facilities to stage a rally to raise awareness about the benefits of breast-feeding.

They're calling the event a "nurse-in."

Womenshealth.gov has more on the health benefits of breast-feeding.

10 Photos

9 Places "They" Say Not to Breast-Feed

[uisignorant]

ummmmm boobies!!!!

[rf35]

These self-appointed morality police should move to Iran or someplace like that where their Puritanical views would be more in line with the accepted norm. It's not like these women are going around with their breasts flopping about like a nudist on summer vacation in Europe. I don't know about the rest of the men in America, but the sight of a baby attached to its mother's teat doesn't turn me on in the least.

[byrdh5n1]

There is a solution. Norplant. In lieu of that wonderful drug, a breast pump and a regular feeding bottle also solved the dilemma. And it's nt a matter of right or wrong. It is a matter of good taste (no pun intended....). Some activities are better executed in private. And don't throw the clap-trap about "natural body function." So is defecating - but I don't want to witness that glorious example of the beauty of the human body either....

[adore26]

It's not just a "natural body function" it's how babies EAT!! To compare breastfeeding to defecating is asinine. Educate yourself.

[catwoman1952]

Yes, you are asinine, why don't you stay in private and spare the rest of us your stupid nose in the air!

[chenz66]

What kind of freakin name is Afrykayn?

[catwoman1952]

who cares idiot?

[avalon288]

Get over it. The human body is beautiful. God designed the human body to provide sustenance to our precious young. This cannot be wrong anywhere, anyplace.