There are a couple of bills bouncing around the state Legislature now that would make it easier -- or, rather, make it harder to interfere with -- to breastfeed in public. We wrote about one of them, state Representative Jessica Farrar's HB 1706, which would allow women to sue if prevented from using their God-given assets to nurse their children. (By no means do we use "assets" in a derogatory or misogynistic fashion, since our nursing wife might castrate us if we did.)
But Representative Debbie Riddle, a Republican/Tea Partier from Tomball, isn't so fond of breasts. She's on the Business & Industry Committee, which considered the bill on Tuesday. As noted by the Texas Tribune, she took to Facebook to share her thoughts.
Now, I am all in favor of breast feeding -- however it is important for women to be modest while feeding their baby -- and most women are modest and respectful. But, a bill that would allow for law suits if one "interfered" with a woman breast feeding is really going a bit far. If a business owner objects to a woman who is not being modest then be fearful of a law suit is government out of control. Most of our laws and bills being considered for law would not be necessary if people would simply be considerate and thoughtful of others. Needless to say -- I am not supporting this bill.
The response thread -- or, you might say, backlash -- has now topped 1,000 comments.
"[W]hy dont YOU put a cover over your head while you eat, or eat in a restroom," one says. "Not very comfortable is it?"
And there's this: "I see you have an A+ rating from the NRA and you fully support our right to bear arms ... yet you do not support the right of mother's arms to bear their babies as they nurse freely in public without a cover and a trip to a dirty public bathroom. That says a lot about your priorities."
And this: "Idiot. Plain and simple."
Riddle's position, though, is not without its supporters, who have begun to chime in.
"come om women,you get offended if a man stares at your breasts so what would you think would happen if you all just started walking around with your breasts out.also this is not the miedevil days.there pumps to fill the baby bottles with at home.if you dearly need to feel your babie's lips against your tit then do it at home," a cultured gentleman named Reginald Holland wrote.
Clearly, Mr. Holland's argument won the day. Farrar's bill was left pending in committee.
