The Michigan state Senate voted Wednesday on legislation that stripped references to “woman” and “she” from a 2014 breastfeeding law.
The law, called the 2014 Public Act 197, defined a right to breastfeed in a public setting. It prohibits “discriminatory practices, policies, and customs in the exercise of the right to breastfeed.”
State Sen. Jeff Irwin, a Democrat, introduced a bill extending the law and updating it to include pumping breast milk while also replacing explicitly female references with “individual,” according to Michigan’s The Midwesterner.
“Breastfeeding is an important function for the mom and the baby and the idea that folks should be shamed out of public spaces for that is just wrong,” Irwin said, according to Michigan Advance. “But the one thing that we left out was pumping and expression of the milk, so I thought this was a hole that we could fill, and that we could just simply make sure that we were doing everything we could to support breastfeeding moms and their babies.”
Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, now an activist for women’s spaces in sports, condemned the wording change in a post on X.
“Michigan state legislature just voted to change the word ‘woman’ to ‘individual’ in breastfeeding discrimination legislation. The worst part is, even some [R]epublicans voted in support of this,” Gaines posted. “Clown world to think anything BUT a woman can breastfeed.”
Michigan state legislature just voted to change the word "woman" to "individual" in breastfeeding discrimination legislation.
The worst part is, even some republicans voted in support of this.
Clown world to think anything BUT a woman can breastfeed ????????????
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) October 19, 2023
Republican state Sen. Michele Hoitenga introduced an amendment to reverse the wording changes while keeping the substance of Irwin’s legislation, but Hoitenga’s amendment was voted down in a party-line vote.
“I must admit, this is not an amendment I ever thought I’d have to offer in this legislature. As far as I’m aware, women, specifically mothers, are the only people who can breastfeed or pump milk,” Hoitenga said on the Senate floor while introducing her amendment.
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Michigan Senate Democrats proposed a bill to remove "woman" from the Breastfeeding antidiscrimination act and replace it with "individual."
Sen. Michele Hoitenga (R) proposed an amendment to keep it "woman."
Her amendment was defeated. The bill was passed. pic.twitter.com/Kej5sTddGn
— The Midwesterner (@Th_Midwesterner) October 19, 2023
Irwin argued against Hoitenga’s amendment on the Senate floor.
“I want to ask my colleagues to oppose this amendment because this legislation is about supporting moms and babies, not about some twisted culture war,” Irwin said.
Michigan Senate Democrats proposed a bill to remove "woman" from the Breastfeeding antidiscrimination act and replace it with "individual."
Bill sponsor Sen. Jeff Irwin (D) insisted the bill is "not about some twisted culture war." ????
It passed. pic.twitter.com/Cxwl81dmGV
— The Midwesterner (@Th_Midwesterner) October 19, 2023