Bill to protect breastfeeding in public fails in Senate committee

(KUTV) A bill that would have prohibited discrimination against breastfeeding mothers in public failed to pass out of a Senate committee.

Senate Bill 240, sponsored by Sen. Jim Dabakis (D-Salt Lake City), would have added breastfeeding to the public accommodation statute that prohibits discrimination against certain groups of people.

"I think this is a well needed bill," Dabakis told the Senate committee Tuesday afternoon. "I think it respects motherhood."

Marina Lowe with the ACLU of Utah endorsed the bill, saying breastfeeding is "entirely natural. It's not a sexual act."

But Sen. Todd Weiler (R-Woods Cross) said he was disturbed that if the bill became law, a protester could "flagrantly show her breasts in a business in public."

"As I understand this bill, it would prevent a business owner from saying, we're not comfortable with what you're doing, would you please go somewhere else," Weiler said.

In the end, Weiler joined Sen. Curt Bramble (R-Provo) in voting against the bill. With two other senators voting for it, the bill failed in a tie, 2 to 2.

Dabakis told 2News he was disappointed the bill did not pass and said he believes Weiler's scenario was far-fetched.

"Senator Weiler sometimes has the imagination of an attorney with a screwy client," Dabakis said following the hearing. "To be against allowing women to feed their children in public because of some imagined demonstration that might someday happen somewhere but has never happened before, might have been a little too panicky on the part of Senator Weiler."

The bill will not advance any further this legislative session, which ends next week.

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