25/06/2007
THE RIGHT TO BREASTFEED IN PUBLIC
Proposals have recently been put forward to the Government for women to be given the legal right to breastfeed in public. Currently there is no law in England and Wales that gives women this right, unlike in Scotland where it is now an offence for anyone to stop a woman from breastfeeding in public.
The call for legislation follows complaints by an increasing number of mothers that they have been accused of indecency and barred from breastfeeding in public.
The proposals have been backed by support groups such as the Royal College of Midwives and the National Childbirth Trust, with increasing support of over 180 politicians. If the proposals are implemented it would mean that employers would be required to allow mothers to take breaks each working day to breast feed their child or to express milk so that childminders or nursery staff can feed them.
The position in France is that mothers with children under the age of 12 months are legally entitled to two 30 minute breaks per day for breastfeeding, and in Italy mothers may take up to two one hour breastfeeding breaks per day.
The legal position in respect of the right to breastfeed has been unclear for some time. There have been suggestions that denying a woman the right to breastfeed in public could constitute sexual discrimination. Support groups have been campaigning for years for the Government to make changes and it appears that their concerns are now being given serious consideration.
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