Vote shields moms' rights

Senate OKs measure allowing mothers to nurse in public; plan now goes to Sanford

By RODDIE BURRIS

rburris@thestate.com

What you need to know

The sight of little children playing in the lobby of the State House isn’t all that unusual during the legislative session.

But on Wednesday, their doting mothers seemed particularly happy, too.

The state Senate gave final approval to a House-passed bill protecting a mother’s right to breast-feed her child in public places without violating the law.

“It’s done!” said a jubilant Lin Cook of Charleston, a breast-feeding counselor and doula, who spent a number of days at the State House this year, attending meetings and hearings in support of the bill.

“We focused on the health of the baby, but those babies grow into (larger) people, so we feel like we’ve raised the health of all South Carolinians today.”

Simple in tone, the bill states a mother can breast-feed children in any location she is authorized to be and that the practice cannot constitute indecent exposure.

The bill goes to Gov. Mark Sanford. Spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor would take a close look but a veto was unlikely.

Supporters say a law protecting breast-feeding in public when necessary has been a long time coming in the Palmetto State and has required some changes in attitudes.

“It was a ticklish subject among legislators,” said Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Berkeley, the bill’s lead sponsor, referring to previous legislative efforts that failed.

Even a year ago, Limehouse said, breast-feeding in public was the butt of jokes at the State House. Until the bill is signed, South Carolina remains one of 11 states that have no laws on protecting breast-feeding rights.

Breast-feeding became a hot topic in the state last year when Limehouse and others pointed to publicized incidents in which breast-feeding mothers were asked to leave restaurants or other establishments to feed their babies.

The incident that caught the most attention involved Lori Rueger, then of Mount Pleasant. She was denied use of a local Victoria’s Secret dressing room to feed her child, Alessandra, who was 3-months-old. Rueger said a store clerk instructed her to use the restroom of a nearby store.

Victoria’s Secret said the incident was a misunderstanding, but it sparked a rally in the Lowcountry, and a new impetus for legislation.

During the bill’s journey through the General Assembly, potential opponents of the practice were scarce, and few problems are expected going forward.

“That’s not a problem for us,” said Aaron Tankersley, manager of Harper’s Restaurant in Five Points. “We allow it. I don’t think most (restaurants) would have a problem with it. It’s perfectly natural.”

Tankersley pointed out that most mothers cover up when they are nursing.

Ahead of the bill’s final passage, Select Health of South Carolina, a Medicaid insurance provider, said it would provide free breast pumps to expectant mothers who are covered by its health plan, First Choice.

Members of the South Carolina Breastfeeding Action Committee, a support group, said it will provide new mothers with identification cards at hospitals, explaining their rights under the proposed law.

A body of medical evidence says breast-feeding has positive health benefits for both children and their mothers, including improved immune protection and cognitive function in children, and decreases of certain cancers in post-menopausal women.

While 71 percent of mothers across the United States breast-feed, only 57 percent of South Carolina mothers do, according to state statistics.

Mary Beth Mullaney of Mount Pleasant, an attorney and mother of two, was among those who came to the State House with her children Wednesday to hear final passage of the breast-feeding bill.

She said she used to get the “dirty looks” many of her friends tell her they still get when the need arises to breast-feed in public.

“I was afraid I’d be arrested or asked to leave many times, and I’ve breast-fed in hot cars,” to avoid the situation, said Mullaney, whose children are 4 and 2. “We’re really excited about this.”

Reach Burris at (803) 771-8398.