News updates are sent daily. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Breast-feeding protesters descend on Applebee’s
Digg|
Save|
License|
Print|
E-mail|
Breast-feeding supporters Dawn Klecka of Phoenix and her 9-month-old baby Hannah, left, greet Mesa mother Iana Walker and her 1-year-old, Avia, during a protest at Applebee\'s Saturday night in Phoenix.
Laura Segall, For the Tribune
Mothers breast-fed their babies as they sat on the sidewalk Saturday night along 44th Street in front of the Applebee’s restaurant in the Arcadia Crossing Shopping Center in east Phoenix.
The mothers were part of a larger protest at 97 Applebee’s locations nationwide that was organized after an Applebee’s restaurant in Kentucky refused to serve a mother who nursed her baby without using a cover blanket, according to a news release from Mesa mom Michelle Hottya, an organizer of the protest.
Diane Targovnik of Phoenix, an organizer of the protest and mother of
7-month-old Leah, said the objective of the protest was not a boycott of Applebee’s restaurants, but public education.
“We want to normalize breast-feeding,” Targovnik said. “It’s just feeding a baby.”
Several Phoenix protesters said they were seeking to show that breast-feeding is a normal, healthy thing and to urge Applebee’s International to enact a friendlier breast-feeding policy.
An Applebee’s manager brought out bottled water and cookies to the protesters in front of the restaurant at 2547 N. 44th St., but the manager declined to discuss the restaurant’s policy.
“We ask that mothers who nurse their children in our restaurant do so in a respectful manner,” Applebee’s management said in a prepared statement. “Our goal as restaurant operators is to provide a great dining experience for all our guests.”
The protest was sponsored by Birth Without Boundaries, International, a nonprofit that opposes “restrictions imposed on birthing women and their babies,” according to the group’s Web site.
Some Applebee’s patrons on Saturday agreed that women should be allowed to breast-feed in public.
But they had different opinions about whether mothers should be required to cover themselves.
Julie Poulson of Page said that nursing moms should use blankets.
Rosanne Lubidesi of Phoenix said that even though some women aren’t embarrassed, they should have respect for others.
Steve McIntyre of Phoenix came to the protest with his wife, Alyssa, and their
6-month-old, Brianna.
Applebee’s “shouldn’t object to breast-feeding in public at all,” he said.
About 100 mothers, fathers and children were present at the protest, many wearing T-shirts and carrying signs with slogans such as “We don’t eat under blankets. Why should our babies?” and “Cover your eyes, not my baby.”
Please add your comments, but follow these guidelines to keep this a safe, credible place for discussing the news: