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Breastfeeding mom plans nurse-in at Fairfield Mall

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By Meredith Moss, Staff Writer 2:38 PM Saturday, February 19, 2011

BEAVERCREEK — A recent incident involving a breastfeeding mom at a local mall has given rise to a long-standing debate: How do we weigh a mother’s right to nurse her baby with society’s comfort level when she does?

Though laws in 44 states protect moms who nurse in public places, including Ohio, that hasn’t halted the controversy.

Rhonda Bell of Huber Heights says Feb. 13 started out like a typical Sunday: she was browsing at the Mall at Fairfield Commons with her fiancee and their 15-week old daughter, Kaileena.

“She started rooting and was hungry so I decided to go ahead and feed her,” says Bell, who says she regularly nurses her baby at area restaurants and public places.

But while she was nursing her infant, Bell says a female security guard approached her and told her she was not allowed to breastfeed inside the mall.

“I told her I was allowed to breastfeed wherever I was at,” Bell says. “She said there was a complaint that I was showing way too much and if I didn’t stop or go to the family restroom, I would be asked to leave.”

According to Bell, after refusing once again, a second security guard arrived.

An official statement issued by the Mall the following day stated: “The Mall at Fairfield Commons fully supports mothers with infants. On Sunday, Feb. 13 we did receive several complains from shoppers and tenants regarding a mother being overexposed while breastfeeding in a common area. We spoke with the mother and shared those concerns. At no time was she asked to leave our property or mandate she use any other area of the mall. We welcome all mothers and families at The Mall at Fairfield Commons.”

Bell, who began sharing her experiences with other moms on babycenter.com, is planning a nurse-in at the mall today at 2 p.m. in the food court.

“I’ve never done anything like this before, but this was about my daughter who was hungry and I know the law and my rights and I knew what they were saying was wrong,” says Bell, who says a nurse-in involves a gathering of nursing mothers and those who support breastfeeding.

“It is not a protest, because we’re not doing anything illegal,” she said. “It’s raising awareness of our rights.”

The issue has made national headlines recently with a similar incident at the Smithsonian’s Hirschhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., after two security guards asked a nursing mother to breast-feed in the museum’s bathroom. A group of Rockville, Md., moms staged a nurse-in over it to end what one of them called “nipple phobia.”

The museum later issued an apology stating that women were indeed permitted to nurse in federal buildings. The Right to Breast-feed Act, a federal law signed in 1999 by President Bill Clinton, allows nursing mothers to breast-feed on federal property, which includes the Smithsonian and its museums.

Christie Miller, marketing coordinator for Fairfield Commons, says the mall has always supported breastfeeding mothers and all will be welcome today. Miller says that the mall, which sees five million visitors each year, has had very few problems with this issue and holds an annual breastfeeding walk.

Nancy Cohen, an International Board Certified lactation consultant, coordinates the annual breastfeeding walk at the mall each August as the Women Infants and Children BreastFeeding coordinator for Greene County Combined Health District. She says the mall has always been welcoming and that Miller called her to discuss the issue after the incident.

“The bottom line is that a mother has a right to breastfeed her baby if she’s in the mall, it’s a place she is legally allowed to be, says Cohen. “It should not be suggested that she go to another place, especially a restroom. It’s not very clean. I don’t think anyone would want to eat their lunch in a restroom.”

Cohen says she works with many moms whose breastfeeding experience is negatively affected by attitudes about breastfeeding in public.

“The law is purposely very broad because different people might have different interpretations. The law doesn’t say she has to breastfeed discreetly. Those who find it not acceptable to see a little bit of a breast when a mom is feeding her baby have lost sight of what breasts are really for,” Cohen said.

Bell says Sunday’s gathering isn’t a protest, but that she plans to speak and distribute information. She is hoping to have 200 or more in attendance.

“We’ll give them papers to carry in their purses and diaper bags in case they get approached by someone in public and are told they can’t breastfeed. They can just pull out the paper.”

Ohio is one of 44 states that have laws specifically allowing women to breast-feed in any public or private location.

“In Ohio, the law says a mother is entitled to breast feed her baby ‘in any location of a place of public accommodation wherein the mother otherwise is permitted,’ says Jennifer Wheeler, policy associate for the National Conference of State Legislatures Health Program. “It seems fairly clear that she (Bell) would be protected.” Wheeler says 28 states exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws and Ohio is not one of those states.

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