PUBLIC PROTESTS APPLEBEE'S RESTAURANTS NATIONWIDE
WHAT : Breastfeeding advocates will gather across the country to protest Applebee's Restaurants standing corporate policy of discrimination against mothers with nursing babies.
WHEN : Saturday, September 8, 2007 at 7:00 pm
WHERE : Applebee's Restaurant
WHO : Sponsored by Birth Without Boundaries, International; and local grassroots organizers
WHY : On June 14, 2007, while Ms. Ryan was breastfeeding her baby discreetly in a corner booth during an anniversary dinner with her family, an Applebee's Manager asked her to cover her baby with a blanket. Ms. Ryan responded by producing a copy of the Kentucky law that states that "no person shall interfere with a woman breastfeeding her child." The manager, after reviewing the statute, continued to insist that she had to "cover the baby with a blanket" if she wanted to breastfeed in the restaurant, and that nursing her child was "indecent." The family left the restaurant in tears before being served their meal.
"When I go to a restaurant, I am not forced to eat under a blanket. I don't understand why my baby isn't given the same respect," said Diane Targovnik, a Phoenix attorney who helped organize the local Applebee's nurse-in. "We are here to normalize breastfeeding. When breastfeeding becomes normalized, then issues like blankets becomes irrelevant and we can then focus on why human breastmilk is the best food for human babies," said Targovnik, who will attend the protest with her seven-month-old exclusively breastfed nursling, LeahHadas Targovnik Jacobs.
In the spirit of the existing diversity and inclusion policy published by Applebee's Restaurants, Birth Without Boundaries, Intl. is asking the corporation to adopt and implement an official breastfeeding friendly policy.
"Because most public breastfeeding laws do not provide a clear remedy for women who are harassed or discriminated against," said Salem Hamilton, Executive Director of Birth Without Boundaries, International, "we are asking for breastfeeding supporters across the country to encourage their legislators to add enforcement provisions to their state's laws that would provide the protection women and babies need."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's how YOU can help!
- Forward this info to your friends & family;
- Call your pediatrician and obstetrician to encourage them to come out in support of their clients!;
- Email your state legislators and let them know that the offending company (Thomas and King) owns the Applebee's restaurants in their constituencies, so this could easily happen here!;
- Show up on Saturday ready to be loud!
No comments:
Post a Comment