Mom kicked out of a restaurant for breastfeeding shares viral message

Breastfeeding is completely legal and certainly not something mothers should be ashamed of. In fact, it's a scientific way of connecting with the baby while sharing quiet, sacred moments. Aris Smith Kopiec (@ariskopes), however, experienced something vehemently negative at a restaurant in Georgia. The mother of 3 was on a vacation with her husband and kids when they decided to dine in at Toccoa Riverside Restaurant. Her 4-month-old daughter suddenly got fussy, and without much thought, Kopiec latched her on. This, apparently, pissed off the restaurant owner, who called her out for breastfeeding in public. She posted the incident on November 24, and her video has been viewed over 1 million times on Instagram.

Kopiec told PEOPLE that the owner yelled at her for feeding her baby in public and said that he wouldn't allow it to protect his restaurant. The woman left the restaurant almost immediately, only to return and confront the owner moments later. She informed him that breastfeeding was legal in Georgia and advised him to follow the law. "At that point, he became increasingly aggressive, repeatedly stating that he did not have to allow breastfeeding and that it was not his responsibility to 'raise my children,'" Kopiec explained.

She knew she had done nothing wrong by feeding her child in public, but the mom wasn't ready for the confrontation. "I also felt vulnerable because my children were watching, and I didn't want to escalate the situation or put them in a dangerous position," Kopiec explained. However, she recorded the incident and posted it on her social media. "You come in here and breastfeed right next to a table, so get on out of here and ease on down," the owner yelled, as captured in the video. Kopiec said she shared the video so moms worldwide can educate themselves on their rights and confront whoever tries to shame them for something as natural as breastfeeding. 

New moms often shy away from breastfeeding in public, even if they know it's completely legal. In fact, a Start4Life survey found that over a third of mothers shy away from public breastfeeding, with 21% citing the reason as people not wanting them to do it in public. Moreover, the poll revealed that 34% of new moms feel embarrassed or uncomfortable while breastfeeding their babies when surrounded by people, and 6 out of 10 mothers who breastfeed take steps to hide it in public as though it were something very shameful. 

Meanwhile, Kopiec, the young mom, received overwhelming support online, with a majority of netizens calling out the restaurant for its behavior. For instance, @samhumanlywell said, "I’m so sorry this happened to you. I remember getting a card from the hospital after I delivered my first baby. It stated breastfeeding was legal anywhere, and to show this card to anyone who challenged that. I thought, 'How funny, why should I ever need to use that card?' Now I see why. Mothers need to know their rights. Thank you for sharing this."

Similarly, @mvb.artworks said, "Men telling women where they can and can't breastfeed their babies is some crazy work." @rachelalyssa214 commented, "Someone needs to educate him that God created breasts to nourish one’s baby — look at other mammals in nature. If he or anyone finds it indecent because they somehow look at a woman feeding her baby as sexual, they may be the ones who need to seek help." @regshartman said, "His reaction says everything about who this man is as a person. He’s a perv who sexualizes breastfeeding. Shame on him."

You can follow Aris Kopiec (@ariskopes) on Instagram for lifestyle content.

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