Breastfeeding Mom Kicked Out of Church

A mother from Georgia was forced out of her church for breastfeeding her child during a service, reports WSAV TV. Nirvana Jennette, a mom of four, was asked to go feed her baby in a bathroom by church leaders. When Jennette refused and attempted to discuss the matter, her pastor compared her to a stripper and called breastfeeding “lewd.”

According to Georgia law, a mother is allowed to breastfeed her baby anywhere. If an establishment prohibits public breastfeeding, an alternative location must be provided—bathrooms do not count.

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“Do they realize the germs that are in there? Would someone else want to eat in a bathroom? If I say, ‘Here is a sandwich, go on into the bathroom to eat,’ that person would be disgusted!” Jennette said.

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Jennette has made it her mission to raise awareness about the stigma sometimes associated with breastfeeding and to establish greater legislative protection for breastfeeding mothers in Georgia. As she explains in her petition letter on Change.org:

“Currently Georgia state law allows a mother to nurse her child anywhere that mother and child have permission to be, but there is no enforcement provision. A law without enforcement protects no one. New legislation would provide for civil action against anyone subjecting a nursing mother to harassment or discrimination in violation of the current state breastfeeding law, as well as protection from all indecent exposure laws.”

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Taking to Facebook, Jennette is calling for moms and other supporters to join her in a statewide nurse-in at five locations across Georgia on Monday, March 5th.

Do you think it is appropriate for a mother to breastfeed in a church? Do you see it as any different than nursing elsewhere in public?