Church to pay up to $25,000 to mother after telling her breastfeeding caused men to ‘lust and stumble’

A lawsuit brought against a Michigan church from a mother who claims she was discriminated against for breastfeeding, has been settled, according to The Christian Post.

In her June lawsuit filed against Brighton Nazarene Church, 30-year-old Amy Marchant says she was shamed for breastfeeding her baby during a church service in 2018 when church members told her she was being immodest. When she complained to the church's then-lead pastor, Ben Walls Sr., he told her that breastfeeding in public would cause men to lust after her.

Speaking to the Livingston Daily, Marchant said the settlement amounted to less than $25,000. Under the terms of the settlement, the money from the settlement will go to the Livingston County Birth Circle and Breastfeeding Center of Ann Arbor. The church will also implement an updated breastfeeding policy, as required by the settlement.

Although the church issued an apology last year, it claimed that Marchant had both breasts exposed during the incident, which caused others to feel uncomfortable. Marchant denies that her breasts were exposed.

A Michigan law passed in 2014 gives mothers the right to breastfeed anywhere in public.