Dozens Plan Nurse-In At Smithsonian After Incident
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Dozens of mothers are planning a "nurse-in" at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum after security told a woman who was breast-feeding her child to move out of public view.
During the Jan. 30 incident, a security guard told Noriko Aita of Rockville, Md., to sit on the toilet to breast-feed her child since there was no other place to sit in the bathroom. Aita moved to another bench instead but was told to stop.
The episode sparked outrage online.
Turns out, Aita's breast-feeding was protected under federal law. President Bill Clinton signed the Right to Breastfeed Act in 1999 to ensure women can breast-feed on federal property.
The museum has apologized.
Still, dozens of mothers plan to breast-feed their children Saturday to raise awareness about their rights.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
