Child's Right to Nurse Act
The Child's Right to Nurse Act is a proposed legislative act which seeks to protect a child's right to be breastfed in any location where the mother-child pair are otherwise authorized to be. It was first introduced in the West Virginia House of Delegates by Bonnie Brown (D-30th-Kanawha). Delegates Long, Palumbo, Butcher, Ellem, Varner and Doyle co-sponsored the bill. Dr. Foster and several co-sponsors introduced the bill in the Senate on the same day. The title of the bill highlights that this is the first attempt to introduce  breastfeeding legislation that focuses on the child rather than the mother. Supporters of the bill, which passed 93-4 in the House but went without vote in the Senate, hoped that West Virginia would join other states in protecting breastfeeding mothers from discrimination. Breastfeeding in public is not itself illegal. On Friday, July 29, 2005, Governor Joe Manchin stated that mothers shouldn't be harassed for breastfeeding. He made this statement during an event in the Governor's Reception Room where he issued a proclamation declaring the month of August as Breastfeeding Month in West Virginia. The group striving for  passage of the bill includes Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. Jennifer Bryant, a mother harassed in Charleston, is a Democrat while Cassie Martin, a mother asked to stop breastfeeding in Huntington, is a Republican. Bill text. §16-1-19. Child's right to nurse: Location where permitted; right protected. (a) Breast feeding is an important, basic act of nurturing that is protected in the interests of maternal and child health. A mother may breast feed a child in any location, public or private, where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be. Reason for the legislation. Both residents of and  visitors to West Virginia had been harassed for breastfeeding their children in civic centers, pools, and restaurants. Example: Jennifer Bryant was told by a security guard that she needed to move to the restroom during a car show in Charleston to feed her 6 month old in early 2004. West Virginia presently ranks 49th for the incidence and duration of breastfeeding in the U.S., with mothers citing a lack of support, even active discouragement, as a primary reason for stopping. Supporters of the bill. Numerous organizations endorsed the bill: Opposition to the bill. House of Delegates Senate Child's Right