New Mexico inmate sues state for right to breast-feed

GRANTS, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico inmate who is suing the state prison system because she hasn't been allowed to breast-feed her baby has secured a restraining order allowing her to do so. The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2smNiiH ) Monique Hidalgo filed suit against the Department of Corrections, its officials and two guards on Thursday. Hidalgo has been in prison since September 2016 after multiple probation violations in a drug case. The lawsuit states orders from Hidalgo's doctor and her baby's physician team say she should breast-feed her daughter to help her recover from being born addicted to opioids. Hidalgo gave birth to a girl at the University of New Mexico Hospital on May 22. But when she returned to prison on June 8, she was no longer allowed to breast-feed the infant during routine family visits. ___ Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com