Friday, September 15, 2006

Toys R Us violates civil law by barring breastfeeding in store, NYCLU warns

September 14, 2006 -- The NYCLU today warned the Toys R Us company that it had violated civil rights law by telling a mother that she could not breastfeed her infant in a store.

A saleswoman approached Chelsi Meyerson after she began to breastfeed her seven-month-old son in an out-of-the-way section of the Toys R Us store on 42nd Street in Manhattan, where she was shopping with her family. The saleswoman informed Meyerson that she was not "allowed" to breastfeed in the store unless she moved to the basement, and that her breastfeeding was "inappropriate" because there were "children around." When Meyerson asserted that she was in the right and refused to move, four more store employees harassed her, and the original saleswoman called security.

"Breastfeeding is not a crime, and the right to breastfeed is simply not a right that I am willing to give up," Meyerson said. "This incident was humiliating and dismaying. I'm asking Toys R Us to guarantee that it will never happen again."



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