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Forest Park Breastfeeding Rules Changed After Moms Protest

By Cynthia Hsu, Esq. on June 08, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

After a public protest, a Forest Park breastfeeding ban has been lifted. An ordinance passed last month in Forest Park, Georgia created a breastfeeding ban against mothers who were nursing children over the age of 2.

Well, a group of pro-breastfeeding mothers, or "lactivists," protested the ordinance when it was passed. About 300 women organized a "nurse-in" in front of the Forest Park City Hall, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The ordinance had been aimed at public indecency and public nudity. Moms disagreed.

Not only would the ordinance have been difficult to enforce, but many moms felt that the ordinance was unrightfully infringing on their parental decision on when to stop breastfeeding their children.

And, of course, some protestors had questioned the logistics of the new ban. It would be difficult to tell which child is over 2 years of age. After all, if you place one baby who is 1 year, 11 months next to a baby who is 2 years old, would you be able to pick out the older one? Unlikely. And it's not like babies have driver's licenses where officers can easily surmise their age.

Plus, breastfeeding doesn't really reveal much nudity at all. Having a baby's face in the way of a mom's breast kind of goes against what most people consider nudity.

The Forest Park breastfeeding ban would have been going against established laws. About 28 states specifically exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws. 44 states have laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in any public or private locations.

Not only that, but mothers seem to always be encouraged to breastfeed their babies, since breastfeeding offers health benefits to both mother and child.

Luckily for all those mothers in Forest Park - breastfeeding is back! The breastfeeding ban was reversed to allow mothers to nurse their children, regardless of age partly because of the public outcry, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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