A Georgia woman posted on Facebook about an encounter with a local Sheriff’s deputy on Sunday, where the officer allegedly threatened her with arrest because she was breastfeeding in a grocery store. Savvy Shukla wrote that she was at a Piggly Wiggly location while nursing her 1-month-old daughter, and when she was about to leave, a deputy told her she needed to cover herself because it was “offensive.”
Shukla wrote that when she told the deputy that Georgia law allows her to breastfeed in public, the officer said, “No ma’am that’s not the case,” and, “You just THINK you know what the law says and if your nipple becomes exposed I really don’t want to have to arrest you or you be arrested for being offensive. This isn’t like the first amendment where you can say something offensive.” He then supposedly told her that if anyone saw her areola he would have to arrest her.
Muscogee County Sheriff John T. Darr heard about the alleged incident, and responded in his own Facebook post. “I fully understand and appreciate the right of a woman to feed her child wherever she is most comfortable,” he said. “It is also the law in the state of Georgia.”
Sheriff Darr apologized to Shukla on behalf of his office, and said he will investigate the matter. “Our office does not condone these actions and will ensure all officers know and understand the law.”
[Image via Shutterstock]
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