It was a lazy day at home after long tiring week. I was going through my Facebook page when an article popped up which had a heading which suggested someone advised a mother to go to the toilet to breastfeed her baby. The writer was suggesting that if the grown up’s don’t have their dinners inside toilet why that baby should have meal inside toilet. I was not just enraged but furious and here I am writing this.
There has been an unending debate over this issue which has no logic at all. It has no logic as I don’t understand the reason behind objection. This is just a product of rotten mentality which is considering motherhood with vulgarity. If your mentality allows you to stare in public and not find it vulgar then what’s wrong with breastfeeding? If you can have your “pleasure” in public, why can’t the innocent child have his food? In Italy You get approval from court that public masturbation is not a crime with a meaningless clause of not being in the sight of minors. Though incomparable, but people better understand the embarrassment caused by such activities.
The point is what is wrong about breastfeeding in public? After all, God gave breasts to woman to feed her child, not for being ogled at even when they are covered. And mind you I have seen people ogling at feeding breasts very comfortably and still making a fuss about it.
A child who is unaware of this world is expected to control his hunger and wait for his mother to get a private space to feed him. And yes if your baby cries of hunger in a public place people will be equally uncomfortable and will give you looks that compels you to feed your baby in open. You are the culprit after all, who told you to step out of the house with your baby? Those who have an issue with public breastfeeding should have started this debate earlier when they were themselves being fed by their respective mothers, then luckily they would not have been alive today and we would have been spared of this illogical debate.
For the mums I have this to say. In British Columbia, all mothers have the legal right to breastfeed in any public area. Asking a mother who is breastfeeding her child to move or cover up is illegal. The Equality Act 2010 says that it is discrimination to treat a woman unfavorably because she is breastfeeding. It applies to anyone providing services, benefits, facilities and premises to the public, public bodies, further and higher education bodies and association. In Scotland a person has a right to breastfeed or bottle feed a child under two and it is a criminal offence to try to stop or to prevent a woman from feeding a child under two in any place in which the public has access and in which a child under two is entitled to be. Anyone who tries to stop or prevent a person feeding milk to a child under the age of two can be prosecuted and can face a claim under the Equality Act.
I want to tell you all, it is more uncomfortable for the mother to breastfeed publicly than for those who are watching her. It takes a lot of courage to do this when you are surrounded by looks that make you even more uncomfortable. Imagine yourselves in the same situation and you will know. I request everyone reading this that next time you see a mother feeding her baby, just leave them alone and let them have their mama-baby time. It’s really none of your business.
Even our country laws do not ban us from public breastfeeding, it has been common in the past too. It is openly visible in Indian villages. Let us look forward positively towards changing the general public mentality and teaching people etiquettes to be followed while a mother is breastfeeding.
Note: Image used in this post is only for representational purpose.
