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Hello Mamas,
Toys-R-Us created quite the brouhaha when they asked a breastfeeding mama to go to the basement to nurse…landed them in a bit of trouble with the NY Civil Liberties Union (Go CLU!)
Here’s the story…

BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS REFUSE TO BE BANISHED TO THE BASEMENT!

Nurse-In Scheduled to Demand Toys “R” Us Stop Harassing and Humiliating
Lactating Women.

New York, New York - Mothers breastfeeding their children and their supporters
will inundate the area in front of the prominent Times Square Toys “R” Us on
Thursday, September 21, 2006 at 11 AM. Last week, several Toys “R” Us employees
triggered the Nurse-In when they harassed Chelsi Meyerson for quietly
breastfeeding her son while watching her daughter play.

The family was celebrating the girl’s third birthday on September 11th, 2006,
until salespeople demanded that Meyerson move to the basement or stop feeding
her child. When she refused, a security guard came to “deal with” her. “I have
never been more humiliated and dismayed,” says Meyerson. To date, no one with
real authority within Toys “R” Us local or corporate management has deigned to
speak with her, despite repeated requests. Management also failed to request an
apology from the employees for their illegal and callous treatment of the
mother.

New York law protects the right of women to breastfeed anywhere they are
legally allowed to be (NY CLS Civ R S. 79-e). Breastmilk should optimally be a
baby’s only food for six months and part of the diet for much longer, according
to the World Health Organization and the America Academy of Pediatrics. Widely
known benefits include lower rates of maternal breast
cancer, reduced incidences of childhood obesity and asthma, higher IQs, and
stronger immune systems in breastfed infants and toddlers. In addition, the act
of nursing from a breast rather than a bottle promotes proper oral development
and fosters a strong mother child bond crucial to healthy emotional
development.

Since their mothers’ milk is quickly and easily digested, breastfed children
eat frequently, making it nearly impossible for a mother to avoid nursing in
public. Social stigma and fear of harassment, like that inflicted on Ms.
Meyerson by Toys “R” Us employees, is a significant barrier that stops many
women from breastfeeding at all. Further, ostracizing mothers and children by
making them hide in a basement, “nursing room,” or a dirty public bathroom
while their children eat infringes on their dignity and basic human rights.

Despite the fact that many mothers profess to have had positive experiences
with Toys “R” Us, their gross mistreatment of Ms. Meyerson in this case is not
only a transgression against common sense and decency, it
is also a violation of New York State Law, which, as stated above, guarantees
women the right to nurse their children anywhere they are legally allowed to
be. Anecdotal accounts also highlight many more
incidences similar to Ms. Meyerson’s, although those women either were not as
aware of their rights or not in states where their rights were protected; this
is not an isolated incident, although it appears to be one of the worst.
Therefore, the mothers and their supporters will be gathering to highlight this
serious problem and to encourage Toys “R” Us to provide better training to all
employees so that an incident of the nature involving Ms. Meyerson never
happens again.

The nursing mothers and their supporters are coming together to support
Meyerson and other mothers determined to give their children the best possible
nutrition and meet their emotional needs through breastfeeding. They are
demanding Toys “R” Us change its policies and better educate their employees
about the legal rights of their customers so that they never
again make a woman feel “humiliated and dismayed” for nurturing her child.

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is now involved in the legal
ramifications of this incident and is to be commended for bringing this
important civil rights issue to the forefront and for standing up for the
rights of all people.

For more information about this event or topic or to schedule interviews with
participants, please contact Ashley Clark by email at anniej83@hotmail.com or
Annie Fox by email at afsvys@yahoo.com.

If you’re in New York stop by and breastfeed at the Giant Corporate Multi-National Conglomerate, It’s gonna be FUN!!!!!