A Missouri woman is to face court this week for bringing her new born child to the courthouse for jury duty because she was breastfeeding.
Laura Trickle, of Lee’s Summit, delivered her daughter Axel in March and was breastfeeding when she was called for jury duty in August.
She asked to be exempt from appearing, as she was breastfeeding, but received notice that she must report to court to fullfill her civic obligation and serve jury duty, according to the Kansas City Star.
Trickle was told to either arrange for child care or bring somebody with her who could care for the child during jury selection.
On September 3, she appeared for jury duty with her child, but according to the ensuing court order, she ‘willfully and contemptuously appeared for jury service with her child and no one to care for the child’.
Trickle will now face Jackson County Presiding Judge Marco Roldan on Thursday at a hearing at the Jackson County Courthouse downtown.
Those who skip jury duty can be found in contempt of court and ordered to pay a fine of up to $500 and maybe even be arrested.
The mother insists she is not a criminal, saying ‘I’ve never even had a speeding ticket’.
Breastfeeding women are exempted from jury duty in 12 states.
New legislation introduced by a St. Joseph physician and state senator, Rob Schaaf, would exempt breastfeeding mothers from jury duty across Missouri.
Such an exemption would help encourage more Missouri mothers to breastfeed, said state Sen. Rob Schaaf of St. Joseph.
‘Babies who are breastfed generally are healthier, are less likely to have certain health problems and will cost the state less resources,’ said Schaaf to the Kansas City Star.
‘Jury duty is a roadblock to that.’
Missouri statutes allow for exemptions when a juror would face ‘an undue or extreme physical or financial hardship’.
Judge Roldan said he has on some occasions excused potential jurors who just had a death in the family, or teachers who were scheduled to give midterm exams.
While keeping some jurors, he often has sought to accommodate their needs, he said.
One juror who told Roldan he could not sit for extended periods received a seat in the back row of the jury box, where he was free to stand occasionally, even during testimony.
Some health advocates appreciate the accommodations the court makes.
‘Providing a room for mothers to breastfeed or pump is good, and we very much encourage that,’ said Anne Biswell of the Mother & Child Health Coalition, which promotes wellness in the Kansas City area.
Roldan, while declining to discuss Trickle’s specific case, said breastfeeding Jackson County mothers have the option of using occasional breaks during jury service to use a private room to pump milk and store it, feeding it to their children later.
They are also allowed to bring a caregiver to the courthouse to watch the child during trial proceedings and then take the child to a private room to breastfeed.
But Trickle said she has no child care options, and stays at home while Axel’s father works.
Trickle is one of two breastfeeding Jackson County women who recently have faced possible penalties for not serving jury duty. It’s not that she isn’t willing, she said.
‘The issue is the timing,’ she said. ‘I just can’t do it right now.’
Via Daily Mail