What does SC law say about breastfeeding in public?

Breastfeeding in public has become a hot topic after recent incidents involving breastfeeding mothers who were asked to cover up or saw the police called on them, and a South Carolina woman’s online post even suggested violence toward mothers nursing in public.

“I’m not sorry- The next female that tries to whip her boob out to breastfeed in front of my kids will get a black eye, move that baby bc I’ll punch it too,” an Upstate woman wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post, according to Yahoo! Lifestyle.

The post sparked backlash among commenters, some of whom said they sent the woman pictures of them breastfeeding their babies, WIS reported.

Also last week, two Minnesota mothers said they were breastfeeding their babies at a public swimming pool when a customer — and later, pool staff — asked them to cover up, according to USA Today. When they refused and said state law protects their right to breastfeed in public, someone at the pool called the police, the newspaper reported.

That incident prompted more than a dozen mothers to show up at the same pool and publicly breastfeed their children as part of a “nurse in,” according to CNN.

This week, an Oregon mother said that during a visit with her new primary care doctor, her 3-month-old started crying, according to KOIN 6 News. When she started nursing the baby, the doctor stopped her and asked if she could cover up.

So, what does South Carolina law say about women breastfeeding babies in public? The practice recently became legal in all 50 states, with Utah and Idaho being the final states to legalize it, People magazine reported.

In the Palmetto State, a woman may breastfeed her child in any location where the mother and child are authorized to be.

“Breastfeeding a child in a location where the mother is authorized to be is not considered indecent exposure,” the law states.

It hasn’t been an issue in the Midlands, authorities say.

“It’s not something we see here in Richland County or have had any recent reports on,” said Capt. Maria Yturria of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. The Cayce Department of Public Safety has not received any reports either.

This story was originally published July 26, 2018 at 3:32 PM.