The South certainly has us buzzing this afternoon! It seems that every day there is a breaking story about a new assault on women’s rights. The latest addition to the fray comes from Georgia (my home state: keep up the good work, y’all). Mother of four Nirvana Jennette reports that she was asked to leave church for breastfeeding her child during a service. The incident didn’t end there, however, as Jennette claims the pastor compared her breastfeeding to a stripper performing. He even implied that he could have her arrested for lewd behavior if she refused to relocate to the bathroom to continue feeding her child, Jennette says.
Outraged at the suggestion that there was something dirty about her body and her choice to breastfeed, Jennette began to formulate a plan for action. She is not the first mother (nor will she be the last) to encounter such discrimination.
Georgia law allows a mother to nurse her child anywhere the mother and child are otherwise allowed to be together, but, in light of her experience, Jennette says the law needs an enforcement provision to be truly effective. She has drafted a petition to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and the state’s House and Senate demanding new legislation that would “provide for civil action against anyone subjecting a nursing mother to harassment or discrimination in violation of the current state breastfeeding law.” She is seeking 10,000 signatures, but as of now has only 592.
The conservative panic rooted in the policing of the female body seems to be never-ending, and women across the country have had enough. Jennette is planning to lead a “Nurse-In,” in which moms are encouraged to breastfeed their children on the steps of local government buildings. The event will be held in five locations across Georgia on Monday, March 5th from 10 AM to 2 PM to protest the incompetence of the law as it stands.
For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Image source abqjournal.com
