NH Walmart refuses to print photos of women breastfeeding

(MyFoxBoston.com) -- Photos of mothers breastfeeding their children seem innocent enough, but when some offended workers in a New Hampshire Walmart, they refused to do business with a customer.

A mother from the Granite State says she was shocked when she was turned away from Walmart after they refused to develop her photos, and then refused to give them back.

The mom is a professional photographer and suddenly found herself in the position of crusader for breast feeding moms everywhere. Jennifer Luna of Somersworth breast feeds her own 10-month-old daughter Elizabeth. But it's actually photos she took of other moms, that lead to a standoff at her local Walmart.

"He told me repeatedly it doesn't matter the reasoning. It's against company policy," she said.

Luna was trying to get photos developed that she took of mothers breast feeding babies for a public breast feeding event in Dover called The Big Latch On, part of National Breast-feeding Awareness Week.

Luna says an employee as well as a manager took the photos from her and wouldn't give them back, calling them "obscene."

"That just blew my mind that anybody could compare breast-feeding with something obscene," she said.
 
A Walmart spokesperson responded over the phone, saying the chain abides by the law and is chalking the incident up to a new employee who was "misinformed."

Spokesperson Aaron Mullins said, "It's currently something that is being addressed with the new associate to make sure its clear, very clear and the company policy is clarified."
 
And Walmart has apologized to Luna, an apology she says she'll accept. But, Luna says it's important that the lesson learned here is that breast feeding is nothing to be ashamed about.

As for Luna's photos, she still doesn't have them back.

Cox Media Group