By Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Washington moms are gaining a civil right to breast-feed in public under a bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire.
Gregoire signed the measure Wednesday. It takes effect three months after the end of the 2009 legislative session, scheduled to adjourn Sunday.
The new law protects women from discrimination when they nurse in public places like movie theaters, parks, shopping malls and schools.
Some 40 other states have laws protecting a mother’s right to breast-feed in public. And mothers in Washington are already protected from criminal indecency charges if they’re nursing.
The bill was Senate Bill 1596.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Published April 22, 2009
