A mother in North Carolina recently learned that breast-feeding in court is most definitely a bad idea. The presiding judge quickly became hostile towards her and openly reprimanded her for what she had done.
It Wasn't The Best Time To Breast-feed
Stephanie Rhodus, 25, insisted her 8-month-old son doesn't want to be covered up while being breastfed. Unfortunately for her, she chose a very inopportune time to nurse him. District Court Judge Peter Knight was infuriated in the middle of the court proceedings when Rhodus exposed herself to breastfeed her son, as per The Washington Post.
"Ma'am, you need to cover up," Knight told Rhodus. "For you not to realize that is absolutely ridiculous. Step outside, and cover up right now. Stand up, and go, now."
Citizen-Times reported that Rhodus was in Knight's Henderson County courtroom for a hearing involving her oldest child. Prior to the incident, Knight had already informed Rhodus that she was allowed to bring her infant son to the hearing.
"I'm fine with having a child (in the courtroom) if you don't have other arrangements made," Knight can be heard saying in an audio recording. "But to nurse the child in the courtroom is just absolutely inappropriate. Now step outside and button up, or whatever you need to do to button up."
The Reprimand Came As An Absolute Surprise
Rhodus shared to ABC News that she didn't expect Knight to scold her like that. She reasoned that she had breastfed in court before. She described Knight's tone as "aggressive" and "condescending."
Rhodus also revealed that she would have talked back at Knight to tell him she wasn't doing anything wrong. She ultimately decided against it as Knight's reprimand had deeply terrified her.
According to North Carolina's breastfeeding law, a woman may nurse her child in any public or private location unless the establishment prohibits her from doing so. This decree applies even if the mother's nipple is exposed during or incidental to the breastfeeding.
