LJWorld.com

Topeka — A bill giving women the right to breast-feed in public was killed Wednesday after several senators said private businesses should be allowed to prohibit breast-feeding on their premises.

"This is about private property rights," said Sen. Kay O'Connor, R-Olathe.

O'Connor led a 20-14 vote to refer the proposal back to committee, a move the committee chairman and sponsor of the bill said killed the measure for the 2005 legislative session.

"We won't have time to work the bill," said Sen. Jim Barnett, R-Emporia, and chairman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee.

And Barnett said he wouldn't support giving businesses the right to prohibit women from breast-feeding on their property.

"I believe allowing signage that says 'No breast-feeding allowed' becomes self-defeating. You become counterproductive to what you are trying to achieve," he said.

The bill stated that it was the public policy of the state to encourage breast-feeding because of the health and nutritional benefits to infants. It also allowed mothers to breast-feed in any place they have a right to be. Thirty-two states have similar laws.

The impetus of the legislation came after a Lawrence woman was asked to stop breast-feeding her child while at a health club.

Mothers say they want 'discreet' out of breast-feeding bill (03-15-05) Bill protects breast-feeding but discreet wording a problem (03-12-05) Breast-feeding bill advances, but changes unwelcome (2-24-05) Research, legislation back breast-feeding advocates (2-09-05) 6News video: Breast-feeding stats back Lawrence moms Got Kids? blog: The LAC Breastfeeding Debacle Part II (07-14-04)

The measure was approved last month in the House after an amendment was added that mothers had to breast-feed "discreetly."

Barnett's committee removed "discreetly" from the bill. But when the measure hit the Senate floor, opponents said they didn't believe the law was necessary.

Sen. Karin Brownlee, R-Olathe, said the measure originated from one complaint.

"When you are trying to fix one person's issue, you are probably not doing the right thing," she said.

O'Connor later said she breast-fed when her children were infants but she was worried that businesses, such as restaurants, should not be barred from preventing women from breast-feeding.

"I'm not against breast-feeding," she said, but added, "If we didn't have people who were being indiscreet we wouldn't need to pass this law."

O'Connor said she had on one occasion witnessed a breast-feeding woman whom she believed was indiscreet.

Of the Lawrence delegation, Sen. Marci Francisco, a Democrat, voted against putting the bill back in committee, and Sen. Roger Pine, a Republican, voted to send the measure back.

Pine said, "It is already the right of the mother to feed her child when it is needed."

But when asked about the woman in Lawrence who was asked not to breast-feed, he said he was hesitant to respond because he didn't know the details of the incident.