by Barbara Behrmann
April 23, 2007

Enough already.

From coffee shops to airplanes, from swimming pools to day care centers, people refuse to accept that women have breasts in order to feed their babies. That, and that segregating mothers and babies from the rest of society is simply not acceptable.

I’ve written about this topic before, but new confrontations sadly keep the issue from becoming passe. The latest incident happened at none other than the otherwise wonderful Ronald McDonald House. Usually a haven housing families whose children are receiving medical treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses, the Ronald McDonald House in Houston damaged its reputation by asking Jessica Swimeley to stop nursing one of her 17-month-old twins in a communal dining area after another father complained. Jessica’s room, three floors up, was the only acceptable place to nurse and if she didn’t comply, she could be kicked out. The reason? “Sensitivity” to the house’s “multicultural residents.”

The irony is stunning. Jessica, 27, was nursing her son who was recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor. What does breast milk do? It boosts the immune system and may even kill cancer cells. Equally important, as Jessica explained, nursing is the only thing that makes her son feel better. Instead of being admonished, Jessica should have been applauded for meeting her child’s physical and emotional needs.

After Jessica’s internet savvy sister took the issue public and after a meeting between administrators at the Ronald McDonald House, La Leche League, Jessica, and her family, Ronald McDonald House agreed that Jessica could stay as long as she nursed discreetly and “announced her intention to nurse” giving anyone who would be offended the chance to leave. But any future complaints and she could be kicked out.

Apart from my inability to see how one can “discreetly” announce one’s intention to nurse (wouldn’t it be more discreet to simply go about it quietly?), the bottom line is that Ronald McDonald House has thus far missed a fabulous opportunity to revisit its guidelines, educate its staff throughout the whole organization, and make it clear, in writing, that nursing mothers and babies are welcome and supported. And they failed to see that their treatment of Jessica is blatantly against Texas state law. As of 1995, Chapter 165 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, reads as follows: “A mother is entitled to breast-feed her baby in any location in which the mother is authorized to be.” Not any bedroom in which a mother is authorized to be, but any location, period.

It may be too much to ask each and every individual for understanding and approval of women’s rights, but isn’t it time for organizations and institutions that serve the public to recognize them? And to make sure their policies and programs are breastfeeding-friendly? Why wait to take action defensively? Why not do it proactively?

As far as Jessica and the Ronald McDonald House, please consider contacting Naomi Scott, Executive Director of Houston’s Ronald McDonald House, to insist that Ronald McDonald House create explicitly breastfeeding-friendly policies and educate its employees on the issue. You can also telephone the organization’s headquarters at (630) 623-7048 to express your concerns.

For future updates, visit The Reluctant Lactivist.