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Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025

Did Connecticut pass a law that made it illegal to breastfeed in public?

Mariana Navarrete Villegas, CT Mirror
no

There has not been a legislative effort in Connecticut to make breastfeeding in public illegal.

Connecticut General Statutes allow and protect mothers breastfeeding their babies in public spaces. This law is enforced by the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

Mothers who want to breastfeed in a public place do not have to cover the baby with a towel or blanket, and do not need to go to the bathroom. 

If an owner, manager or employee of the public space requests the mother to stop breastfeeding the baby, cover up, or leave, it is discriminatory by law, and the mother is legally protected.

There is no national law about breastfeeding in public. It’s up to the states to decide. All fifty states have laws that allow women to breastfeed in public; in Connecticut, the law has been in effect since 1997.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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