The state of Alabama does not exempt breastfeeding mothers from jury duty. There are 18 states including Puerto Rico that do, but Alabama is not one of them. Simply put it's an infringement upon our human rights, and we have to do something to protect breastfeeding mothers and their babies. 

Breastfeeding is a commitment, a lifestyle, and a lifeline. If a mother is asked to serve as a juror, her baby could become confused by a bottle, refuse a bottle altogether, get dehydrated, and therefore go unfed. A mother would have to pump while away from her baby and would need many breaks at court to do so. If a mother is not able to pump or feed her child directly then she becomes at risk for developing mastitis, a severe infection in the breasts. WHO (World Health Organization) recommends breastfeeding until the age of 2.

This situation can be extremely hard and emotional for mothers and babies. I believe that mothers who breastfeed their babies should be exempt from jury duty. Please partner with me and sign this petition. Our babies need us, we are their lifeline! 

Here's my story: I was summoned for March 2nd, and sent an email stating that I was a nursing stay at home mother with an infant and asked to be excused, or if I would be able to pump. My question about pumping was never answered and I ended up asking twice, so I took that as their "legal" way of saying "no". The best they could do was to reschedule me at a later date.... even though I told them I would still be breastfeeding then too. So, in the end it didn't make a difference and I appeared on March 2nd with no pump, only one bottle of milk at home, and praying the judge would let me go. He decided to reschedule me for a different term. When I stated to him that I would be breastfeeding then too, he said "things might change, so we'll see". Breastfeeding doesn't have a set end date, nor should it have to. What's going to happen when I can't be rescheduled again, but I'm still breastfeeding? 

When I left the courthouse that morning I called my husband to see if my daughter took the pumped milk I had left for her... she didn't. She refused the milk, she missed a feeding with me, and I wasn't there for her. Admittedly, I cried the whole hour home.