Breastfeeding in Public
Kansas state law 65-1,248 protects a mother’s right to breastfeed any place she has the right to be. It also states it is Kansas public policy for mothers’ choice to breastfeed to be supported and encouraged to the greatest extent possible. Public accommodations — like a restaurant — are not required to provide private accommodations for breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding and Jury Duty
Kan. Stat. Ann. § 43-158 (2006) allows a mother breastfeeding her child to be excused from jury service and allows jury service to be postponed until the mother is no longer breastfeeding the child.
Milk Expression in the Workplace:
Employers are required to provide a lactation room that is private, secure, clean, free of hazardous materials, shielded from view, and free from intrusion by supervisors, coworkers, and the public. The room must contain a place to sit, a table or shelf to place a pump and other equipment, and access to a power source to plug in an electric pump. It can not be in a bathroom. It can be a space used for other purposes, like a conference room, but the law requires that use of the room for lactation take precedence over other uses.
More information and resources HERE
Milk Expression in Schools:
Under federal Title IX, lactating students must be provided with accommodations to allow them to pump at school.
More information and resources HERE
Breastfeeding and Air Travel
Expressed milk is exempt from the TSA liquid and gel regulations. You can bring as much expressed milk as your baby needs. You can bring ice packs, freezer packs, frozen gel packs, and any other accessories you need to cool your milk. These accessories are also exempt from the TSA’s liquid and gel regulations.
You may want to print out the TSA procedures on “Traveling with Children”, which explains that milk, ice packs, freezer packs, and frozen gel packs are not subject to the liquids rule exemption.
More resources:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Travel Recommendations for Nursing Families“
- Airports are just one of many public places where breastfeeding people face challenges. However, there is federal legislation that protects breastfeeding air travelers.