By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-874235.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Mothers in Michigan who want to breast feed their children in public could soon be protected by the Civil Rights Act. Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber has this report.
Mothers and physicians told a state House panel that preventing women from breast feeding their children in public is gender discrimination and a health concern. They say it's important for infants to be fed when they're hungry.
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State Representative Mark Meadows chairs the House Judiciary Committee. He says no member of the public showed up to testify against the legislation.
"I was kind of surprised in a way because on any change to the Civil Rights Act we run into some negative some people who want to get rid of the Civil Rights Act completely anyway, but none of those came out," he says.
The bill is expected to pass easily through the Democrat-controlled House. But two Republicans on the House committee voted against the measure.