Breastfeeding Mom Asked To Leave Post Office, USPS Responses Amid Overwhelming Backlash
USPS has come under fire for asking a breastfeeding mom to leave the premises – two days consecutively. According to WISC-TV, on Wednesday and Thursday of last week, Raven Dibble stopped by a post office location in Janesville, Wisconsin to mail packages. While waiting to be serviced, she began breastfeeding her 3-year-old daughter only to be condemned by a USPS employee who stated that her actions were publicly “indecent.” The employee reportedly asked her to “cover up or leave.”
Dibble’s disagreement with the unnamed USPS employee has led to local news reports. During a recent interview with WISC-TV, she recounted the disheartening experience and her reaction to being asked to leave. Now, she wants the public to know her perspective on public breastfeeding. Dibble also reiterrated her public right to do so.
“I’m not standing up for my own right to breast feed my child. I’m standing up for other women to breast feed their child. I’m standing up for those children, my daughter, her right to eat.”
In the state of Wisconsin, there are laws in place regarding the practice of public breastfeeding and it is legal to do so. Statute 253.165 states that a “mother may breast-feed her child in any public or private location where the mother and child are otherwise authorized to be. In such a location, no person may prohibit a mother from breast-feeding her child, direct a mother to move to a different location to breast-feed her child, direct a mother to cover her child or breast while breast-feeding, or otherwise restrict a mother from breast-feeding her child as provided in this section.”
So, the USPS employee actually violated Dibble’s rights by asking her to leave. In the wake of the controversial ordeal, United States Postal Service, Sean Hargadon, released a statement of apology to the news station. Hargadon also confirmed that employees were addressed and educated about the state’s laws prohibiting breastfeeding.
“We have apologized to the customer for the incident and any inconvenience this may have caused her,” Hargadon said. “We have talked to our employees about the situation and have taken this opportunity to educate our employees regarding the law.”
According to Opposing Views, Dibble has also decided to take further action to raise awareness about the right to breastfeed. A “nurse in” event has been created via Facebook, and a total of 93 women have agreed to attend the event, which is scheduled to take place at the Janesville, WI post office locaation on Wednesday, July 22.
[Image(s) via YouTube Screen Capture]
