RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond International Airport is apologizing after a new mom was told she couldn’t breastfeed her baby in public.
That new mom told 8News that not only did the police officer try to stop her from breastfeeding, but he also told her that what she was doing could be considered indecent exposure.
“He said I could go to the women’s bathroom that’s right there in that area or I could go back down to a family restroom, and I said, ‘well, I’m in the middle of feeding him, so I’m not going to move,'” the Richmond mom explained.
She says the officer suggested what she was doing could be considered a crime.
“The second that he came off my chest and I showed my nipple, it was indecent exposure, and that that’s not allowed,” she acknowledged.
The Richmond mom knew her rights and refused to give in, even after a supervisor suggested she go somewhere more discreet.
“You have to feed the baby when they’re hungry, and so if that means while we’re waiting for daddy to arrive at the airport, that’s where we end up doing, and so I kind of had the confidence to feed there because I knew it was what I needed to do for my baby,” she explained.
A spokesperson for RIC said the airport regrets what happened. It’s against Virginia law to ask nursing mothers to stop or go somewhere else.
“I hope this gives other people the courage to speak out so that we can live in a place that supports our families,” the local mom added.
