I happened to mention this to my husband, and he mentioned the following:
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source: http://www.llli.org/Law/Bills18.html
740 ILCS 137/10
Public Act ###-###-####, SB 3211, enacted August 16, 2004.
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Right to Breastfeed Act.
Section 5. Purpose. The General Assembly finds that breast milk offers better nutrition, immunity, and digestion, and may raise a baby's IQ, and that breastfeeding offers other benefits such as improved mother-baby bonding, and its encouragement has been established as a major goal of this
decade by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund. The General Assembly finds and declares that the Surgeon General of the United States recommends that babies be fed breastmilk, unless medically contraindicated, in order to attain an optimal healthy start.
Section 10. Breastfeeding Location. A mother may breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding; however, a mother considering whether to breastfeed her baby in a place of worship shall comport her behavior with the norms appropriatein that place of worship.
Section 15. Private right of action. A woman who has been denied the right to breastfeed by the owner or manager of a public or private location, other than a private residence or place of worship, may bring an action to enjoin future denials of the right to breastfeed. If the woman prevails in her suit, she shall be awarded reasonable attorney's fees and reasonable expenses of litigation.
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You can tell your MIL that her opinion is in the minority. Illinois has made it law that breastfeeding in public is acceptable.
I would have wanted to just whip my breast out right there at the table and fed my child plain as day! I'm actually not that ballsy though, so I would have just quietly fumed and tried to argue "politely" to not disrupt the family holiday gathering. I swear there are some people who bring up subjects like that at times like that just because they know that people are more likely to try and keep the peace during a holiday...