Breast feeding- Legislative intent; authorized in any public

Nevada Lawyer Explains Laws Protecting Breast-Feeding Moms

Nevada prohibits indecent exposure and lewdness. Indecent exposure, lewdness, and obscenity are all considered to be crimes against public morality and decency. The offenses can result in harsh penalties including, in some cases, mandatory registration as a sex offender.

While Nevada law aims to prevent obscene behavior and wants to prohibit conduct such as exposing one’s self in public, the state also wants to protect people who behave in an appropriate manner but who could potentially be caught up under laws prohibiting immoral behavior. For example, the state wants to protect breastfeeding mothers to ensure they are not accidentally caught up in laws prohibiting lewd conduct.

To ensure that breastfeeding mothers are able to legally feed their children in any public place, the state of Nevada has included a section of Nevada’s code to explain their legislative intent and to specifically protect mothers who breastfeed. That law is found within Nevada Revised Statute section 201.232.

If any defendant has been accused of lewd conduct or indecent exposure and believes that N.R.S. 201.232 applies to their specific situation, that defendant should contact a Vegas criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. An experienced attorney can provide assistance navigating the criminal justice system and resolving a case as quickly and effectively as possible so defendants face the minimal stress and the minimal potential harm to their reputation as a result of unjust accusations.

LV Criminal Defense has extensive experience providing assistance to defendants involved with criminal cases related to lewdness or indecent exposure, and we can put our legal knowledge of Nevada’s law to work to help you ensure you get the full measure of protection available to you under N.R.S. 201.232. To find out more about how our firm can help you, give us a call today.

Nevada Revised Statute section 201.232: Breastfeeding Mothers are Protected from Lewdness Laws

Nevada Revised Statute section 201.232 makes clear that a mother who is breast feeding cannot be charged with an offense of lewdness, but the statute goes far beyond just protecting a mother from criminal prosecution. The law also makes clear that, notwithstanding other provisions of law, mothers can breast feed their children in any public place where the mother is authorized to be, regardless of whether or not the mother’s nipple is uncovered as she is breastfeeding the child.

The statute details many important reasons why mothers are allowed to breast feed unimpeded and why they should not be made to feel incriminated or ostracized for breastfeeding. As N.R.S. 201.232 explains, the medical profession in the U.S. recommends that children should generally be breast fed until they are at least one years old, even though only a small percent of mothers are still breast feeding by the time their babies have reached six months of age. The law stipulates that a declining number of mothers are breast feeding, despite the fact that breast feeding provides significant health benefits for both mother and child. Because of the importance of encouraging breast feeding, Nevada law has urged acceptance of this practice in public as part of a genuine promotion of family values.