We know that discussions in the courtroom about breastfeeding can go either way.... some judges understand the issues and some do not.  I have been told that in my county there have been some opinions expressed from the bench about breastfeeding that show a lack of knowledge.  For example: in a visitation case, the mother did not want the newborn infant bottle fed or given formula while with the father.  The opinion from the bench was..  he acknowledged the use of breastmilk over formula (after much discussion)  but saw no problem with giving it in a bottle, and if the baby didn’t go back to breast.... well, just keep on pumping and giving it in the bottle then.  This was an infant who had serious issues with good breastfeeding after birth.

We are fortunate that in the State of Michigan, we recently had a law passed that supports a mother nursing her infant in public and if she is harassed by a business, a fine may be assessed.  This has been on the news a lot and maybe this is also a time to educate the courts about other important considerations in nursing an infant.

My question to any of you is.... have you had any experience in approaching the courts regarding improving their knowledge about breastfeeding?   I was thinking that our county breastfeeding coalition might approach them . I fully realize that this might be an exercise in futility, but if any of you have ideas or experiences to share regarding this issue, please share with me.

Sue Gehrman





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