Mom Forced Out Of Church For Breastfeeding

[doggie]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/2 ... ef=parents

Nirvana Jennette, a mom of four from Camden County, Georgia says she was forced out of church for breastfeeding her baby. Church leaders asked her to breastfeed in the bathroom and implied they could have arrested her for “lewd behavior.†The most egregious statement? She told news station WSAV that her pastor compared her breastfeeding to a stripper performing.

According to Fox 30 WAWS, although Georgia state law allows a mother to nurse her child anywhere, Jennette could face public indecency charges. She wants her message to be heard loud and clear -- breastfeeding is natural and moms who want to feed their children in public should be protected. To that end, she's decided to stage a nurse-in and is seeking to establish legislative change for the State of Georgia.

On March 5th, Jennette will stage the "Georgia Statewide Nurse-In" at the Woodbine Courthouse and is calling for moms and supporters to join her via Facebook. Nurse-in protests are becoming much more common -- recently, moms breastfed in front of Facebook's headquarters after nursing photos were wrongfully removed from the social network. And after mom, Michelle Hickman, was shamed for breastfeeding at a Target store, she organized a nationwide nurse-in that took place in several retail locations.

The Georgia Statewide Nurse-In, aims not only to spread awareness and support for breastfeeding moms, but to change the law. As Jennette writes in her petition letter:

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.

She insists that the law be changed and says, "We will not stop until they are."

According to Jennette's Facebook page, her cause has even been recognized by Oprah. When the queen of daytime television was in Georgia for Lovetown, USA, (a TV show on the OWN network) she was photographed holding the Georgia Statewide Nurse-In flyer.

LOOK: More mom's who have been shamed for breastfeeding in public:

[Kitty]

Why I can never, ever set foot in a conservative-leaning church ever again. And people really think women get a fair shake in these churches.

I also find it strange that breastfeeding is considered so unusual. Um, hello, that's what boobs were designed for... also, they were designed for that thousands of years ago, if not millions.

[Sola]

To that pastor I would say, how would you like to eat your lunch in a bathroom?

[BravaAmica]

She should've offered milk for the pastor's coffee after service. Seriously, though, that pastor is a dick.

[Katiebug]

There are plenty of lovely Renaissance paintings of the Virgin Mary nursing Jesus. Seriously, regardless of one's feelings on his deity, the historical Jesus would have almost certainly had to be breastfed. There just wasn't a great alternative - to survive a baby would have needed his mother's milk, a wet nurse, or maybe goat's milk if it was available.

This is why I'm happy to go to a normal mainline Protestant church where people didn't freak out at my nursing a baby. I chose to use a shawl so that the folks around us in the pews wouldn't get an eyeful, but I didn't get any more glares/funny looks than usual when nursing in public.

[icecreamycakeycake]

My state (WA) had a nurse-in years ago, during a Senate session. When asked about it later the Senator who was speaking (and being protested) said, "what nursing Moms"? Yup, sooooo indecent.

[Elle]

Wow, Mary was actually a stripper! Who knew!

[ilovetchotchkes]

There are plenty of lovely Renaissance paintings of the Virgin Mary nursing Jesus. Seriously, regardless of one's feelings on his deity, the historical Jesus would have almost certainly had to be breastfed. There just wasn't a great alternative - to survive a baby would have needed his mother's milk, a wet nurse, or maybe goat's milk if it was available.

This is why I'm happy to go to a normal mainline Protestant church where people didn't freak out at my nursing a baby. I chose to use a shawl so that the folks around us in the pews wouldn't get an eyeful, but I didn't get any more glares/funny looks than usual when nursing in public.

You mean like this one?

I wish I lived in GA, i'd show up at that nurse in (even though I'm a Jew) with posters with images like the one above.

[Seven Severn]

You mean like this one?

I wish I lived in GA, i'd show up at that nurse in (even though I'm a Jew) with posters with images like the one above.

Ha! (going OT) I first saw this painting over on http://uglyrenaissancebabies.tumblr.com/ a few weeks ago. What is the deal with her right breast? It's migrated to her armpit.

[ilovetchotchkes]

Ha! (going OT) I first saw this painting over on http://uglyrenaissancebabies.tumblr.com/ a few weeks ago. What is the deal with her right breast? It's migrated to her armpit.

I... dont....know.... I mean, it looks like an implant GONE WRONG. I just posted it because the whole breast was out. Something most women who are nursing these days don't do!

[Kitty]

I... dont....know.... I mean, it looks like an implant GONE WRONG. I just posted it because the whole breast was out. Something most women who are nursing these days don't do!

Everything about Mary in that picture is wrong. The tiny tiny waist, the seeming baldness, and the boobs... holy shit, not only did the implants go horribly wrong, the boobs are different sizes.

[fluttershies]

Everything about Mary in that picture is wrong. The tiny tiny waist, the seeming baldness, and the boobs... holy shit, not only did the implants go horribly wrong, the boobs are different sizes.

Regarding the baldness, it was fashionable for ladies at the time to have very high hairlines, so they shaved the front of their head :)

[azzyschnu]

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categ ... na_lactans

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Categ ... ing_in_art

Here you go!

[ilovetchotchkes]

Everything about Mary in that picture is wrong. The tiny tiny waist, the seeming baldness, and the boobs... holy shit, not only did the implants go horribly wrong, the boobs are different sizes.

She's also unhealthily PALE bordering on extreme anemia! And I say this as a member of the "i can't find foundation that looks ok on my skin" and "I can't ever get a tan " club. LOL ! I just posted it because it was the first one that popped up when I googled "madonna breastfeeding"

[VintageJen1984]

I wish I could show this blog post from a fundie-light-ish woman to the pastor of that church, and anyone else who claims that sure Jesus was nursed, but "not in public". There is both Old and New Testament scripture that proves nursing was encouraged in public, and that single men (Paul himself, who claimed if you lust you should marry) were familiar and not uncomfortable with it.

heartkeepercommonroom(DOT)blogspot.com/2011/12/breastfeeding-nurse-in.html

I know you can make broken links clickable, I just don't know how.

[Black Aliss]

Baby needs this hat:

[Elle]

Molly, I got that. Before I got it, I had people telling me to cover her up, cover her up! I bought that, waited for someone to say something so I could put the boobie beanie on her head, and no one said anything again, so I never got the chance.

[Guest Anonymous]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/24/nirvana-jennette-georgia-nurse-in_n_1297667.html?ref=parents

Nirvana Jennette, a mom of four from Camden County, Georgia says she was forced out of church for breastfeeding her baby. Church leaders asked her to breastfeed in the bathroom and implied they could have arrested her for “lewd behavior.†The most egregious statement? She told news station WSAV that her pastor compared her breastfeeding to a stripper performing.

According to Fox 30 WAWS, although Georgia state law allows a mother to nurse her child anywhere, Jennette could face public indecency charges. She wants her message to be heard loud and clear -- breastfeeding is natural and moms who want to feed their children in public should be protected. To that end, she's decided to stage a nurse-in and is seeking to establish legislative change for the State of Georgia.

On March 5th, Jennette will stage the "Georgia Statewide Nurse-In" at the Woodbine Courthouse and is calling for moms and supporters to join her via Facebook. Nurse-in protests are becoming much more common -- recently, moms breastfed in front of Facebook's headquarters after nursing photos were wrongfully removed from the social network. And after mom, Michelle Hickman, was shamed for breastfeeding at a Target store, she organized a nationwide nurse-in that took place in several retail locations.

The Georgia Statewide Nurse-In, aims not only to spread awareness and support for breastfeeding moms, but to change the law. As Jennette writes in her petition letter:

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.

She insists that the law be changed and says, "We will not stop until they are."

According to Jennette's Facebook page, her cause has even been recognized by Oprah. When the queen of daytime television was in Georgia for Lovetown, USA, (a TV show on the OWN network) she was photographed holding the Georgia Statewide Nurse-In flyer.

LOOK: More mom's who have been shamed for breastfeeding in public:

Wow....and y'all think my church is bad. Just how in the hell is nursing a baby a lewd act? It's one of the most natural things in the world. I guess they would rather a baby starve for the sake of modesty. If you find it offensive then just don't look...problem solved!

[JesusFightClub]

Hahaha, they would hate anarchists. I've sat in meetings between two nursing mums while facing another two across the table. And they are not shy about letting the boobage hang out, either (they don't cover).

Visitors to my work are sometimes breastfeeding and no one minds. We have a pro breastfeeding policy so if baby needs her dinner, baby's getting her dinner.

So weird that people would object. I have been told online by people they find it squicky, but that is not a good reason to stop it. After all everyone is squicked by something. You can just not look.

[No Fun My Babe]

That's it. I've thought about making some of those nipple beanies to give out, and now I'm gonna do it.

Here is an awesome site with a great pattern for them for any other crocheters out there: crochet-mania.blogspot.com/2012/02/baby-booby-beanie-dedicated-to.html

Boobs are natural. Breastfeeding is natural. What is with the obsession people have with seeing boobs? Why the hell are they even looking? I can avert my eyes when some dude is walking around with his mitties jiggling, I'm sure they can do the same. FFS.

[SealFan1963]

During church I always went into the nursery to breastfeed, they had comfy rocking chairs in there just for that purpose. The also had speakers so you didn't have to miss the sermon, if that was important to you.

It's strange to me that the church in the article didn't have a place to nurse besides the bathroom. Every church I have ever been to has had somewhere you could sit in a nice environment and nurse your baby.

[ChickeyMonkey]

You mean like this one?

I wish I lived in GA, i'd show up at that nurse in (even though I'm a Jew) with posters with images like the one above.

Who knew Mary had a boob job? And a bad one, too! :whistle:

[dairyfreelife]

During church I always went into the nursery to breastfeed, they had comfy rocking chairs in there just for that purpose. The also had speakers so you didn't have to miss the sermon, if that was important to you.

It's strange to me that the church in the article didn't have a place to nurse besides the bathroom. Every church I have ever been to has had somewhere you could sit in a nice environment and nurse your baby.

The churches I went to have all had a room to change a baby and a chair to rock one. This church should find a place for mothers to nurse their babies.

[formergothardite]

In that painting Mary is looking down at Jesus like "Where did this fat baby come from, why is it naked and it better not pee on my my nice gown."

[ilovetchotchkes]

In that painting Mary is looking down at Jesus like "Where did this fat baby come from, why is it naked and it better not pee on my my nice gown."

Meanwhile the baby Jesus is all "I'll pee where I want! you don't own me! :) "