Breastfeeding Mother Kicked Out Of Courtroom In Alabama

According to Alabama state law, a woman has the right to breastfeed in public. But that didn’t stop an official from booting a Mobile woman out of court for doing just that.

Alabama Statute Section 22-1-13 dictates “A
mother may breastfeed her child in any location, public or private,
where the mother is otherwise authorized to be present.” That seems pretty clear cut to me. But for Jeanna Harris, a mother of five who was breastfeeding her three-month-old baby while waiting for her case to come up, things were not so crystal clear.

Harris said a court officer came up to her and told her she had to leave.

Which obviously begs the question, why on Earth was she kicked out?

Court officials told the station they were asked by other people in
the court to have Harris moved. Court officers say they didn’t break any
state laws because they provided Harris with another area to nurse her
baby.

So, the law is only applicable when everyone is totally comfortable with it? Umm, I don’t think that’s how it works, Alabama court officials. The state law does not mention anything about providing an alternate place to breastfeed or making them leave if someone is uncomfortable with watching a mother feed her baby.

By the way, she was in child support court, (where, you know, people might actually be used to seeing women and babies and the stuff they do together). It’s not like she was sitting in traffic court surrounded by a bunch of angry single business executives who are there to duke it out with Officer Jerkface over a speeding ticket and don’t want to be reminded of the joys of motherhood. And even if she was—who cares because again, the law says she can breastfeed anywhere she’s authorized to be.

Harris says she does plan to see an attorney about filing a suit regarding the issue.