2 August 2007

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Infant Feeding Bill Met With Applause

The National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) is delighted that Labour MP, Steve Chadwick’s member’s bill will remove the existing discrimination against mothers’ breastfeeding their babies and toddlers.

“There has been a positive societal shift in how the public reacts to breastfeeding mothers over the last five years,” said Christine Low, NCWNZ National President. “However, as the Elizabeth
Weatherly case clearly demonstrated, some legal protection is still needed[1], so mothers need not be fearful of admonishment nor embarrassment.”

Many breastfeeding mothers today practice feeding on demand; they can expect that they will be called upon to feed their child in an area that lacks designated facilities, such as a parent room.

“The Council is particularly pleased with this member’s bill, as it was a matter that many women’s NGOs had raised during the consultation on the NGO CEDAW report. NGOs recommended that a woman’s right to breastfeed in public and in the workplace be protected by legislation – a message that our representatives in New York have delivered to the CEDAW Committee,” said Christine Low.

The National Council of Women of New Zealand also passed a resolution at its annual conference 2006 in Invercargill calling for women’s rights to breastfeed in all places.

ENDS

[1] Elizabeth Weatherly was breastfeeding her 2 ¾ year-old son at his preschool and the teacher told her she must stop doing so.

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