Breastfeeding mom ejected from courthouse
12:57 AM CDT on Saturday, July 28, 2007
By DAN RONAN / WFAA-TV


Also Online
Dan Ronan reports

More stories by Dan Ronan

Breastfeeding legislation in Texas
• from La Leche League

McKINNEY — Collin County officials say they're investigating why an Allen 
mother was told she could not breastfeed her newborn baby in a public 
building.

Elydia Arthur said she was humiliated when two female employees called 
security and began shouting at her to leave.

It was Thursday, and the mother of three was at the Collin County Courts and 
Probation building in McKinney with her 10-day-old son, Noah.

Arthur said she received permission to go into an office to nurse the baby. 
Minutes later, the two women employees confronted her.

"They were like standing in the doorway and they told me I needed to go to 
the bathroom to feed my baby," Arthur said. "They said, 'You know what? If 
you don't get up, we'll call security.'"

But that's not what Texas and federal law says:

• "A mother is entitled to breastfeed her baby in any location in which the 
mother is authorized to be."

Officers arrived at the court building. Rather than having a confrontation 
while holding her newborn son and with her other two children, Arthur left 
the premises.

"As soon as I got to the car, I actually started crying," she said. "My 
husband was like, 'What's wrong?' And I told him what happened."

Collin County officials did not want to go on camera to discuss what 
happened, but Bob Hughes, director of the Community Supervision and 
Corrections Department, issued this statement:

"We try to treat all mothers with dignity. Most people don't know the law. 
We'll let our people know about it. It's an unfortunate incident."

Arthur said she is discouraged by what happened this week, but she pledged 
to continue nursing.

"I think it's the most natural thing in the world," she said. "We shouldnt 
have to hide in a closet to feed your child. Should women with bottles go 
hide in the closet with their bottles?"

Elynda Arthur says she wants someone from Collin County to acknowledge that 
its employees were wrong. She said she'll settle for an apology

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