Breastfeeding Toddlers in Public: Should There Be a Law Against It?

On May 16, Forest Park passed an indecency ordinance that prohibits women from nursing in public if the child is over two years of age.  

“It sets up a process whereby we can try to control nudity throughout the entire city,” City Manager John Parker told WBS-TV Atlanta, noting that the council had used the exact breastfeeding wording that already exists in DeKalb County and City of Griffin public indecency ordinances.

Not surprisingly, local mothers (and maybe everyone else) laughed at the idea that such control was needed—that metro Atlanta was swarming with half-naked women clutching toddlers to their quite naked breasts.

"Lactivists" (for real) did a nurse-in Monday that got press attention and made city fathers look pretty ridiculous.

But the wording of the ordinance makes one wonder if, rather than nudity, it's really aimed at discouraging the breastfeeding of toddlers, since the under-24 months set is still allowed to chow down in flagrante.

Though some in the lactivist and healthcare communities believe that nursing a child into toddlerhood can offer the benefits of continued child/parent bonding, others may find the practice disturbing.

But why would a city council choose to weigh in on the issue?

Has there been a rash of moms nursing their overgrown youngins in public spaces in Forest Park?

I haven't spoken with any of the Forest Park City Council, so I'm not yet privy to the thoughts behind the ordinance. Council members will revisit the issue at the next meeting on June 6 and perhaps think better of it.

So is this ordinance ridiculous or 'about time'? What are your feelings on toddler-nursing? And what about there being similar laws already on the books in DeKalb County? Tell us what you think in the comments!