MPs back right to breastfeed in public

Elizabeth Weatherly with one of her sons, 8-year-old Anton. Picture / Richard Robinson

One woman's campaign to safeguard her right to breastfeed in public has resulted in a parliamentary committee recommending law changes to protect and promote breastfeeding.

Parliament's health select committee yesterday said the Government should investigate law changes to protect the right to breastfeed in public places and to protect an infant's right to receive nutrition.

The woman behind the recommended law changes is Aucklander Elizabeth Weatherly, who organised a petition - signed by nearly 9000 people - advocating legislation to preserve breastfeeding rights.

Ms Weatherly's campaign began after she was prevented from breastfeeding her 2 1/2-year-old son, Michael, at his pre-school in 2003.

When talks with the pre-school broke down, Ms Weatherly, 39, withdrew Michael from it and complained to the Human Rights Commission.

But she was told her complaint did not fit within any of the prohibited grounds of discrimination listed under the Human Rights Act.

She then organised the petition to change the law and presented a series of submissions detailing women being abused in public, "mooed at", asked to leave buildings and being shunned when they were breastfeeding.

Only 23 per cent of New Zealand women breastfeed their babies for the full four to six months recommended by the World Health Organisation. The reasons for the low rate include societal attitudes and lack of workplace support and community facilities.

The health select committee agreed that the right to breastfeed should be protected by law and promoted through education.

The select committee said the Human Rights Act should be clarified and recommended changes to the legislation to protect the right to breastfeed in public.

Committee chairwoman Steve Chadwick said the definition of "public places" was where a woman could legitimately be and included cafes and aeroplanes.

"It is very significant," Ms Chadwick said of the report. "The committee took this petition really seriously."

The committee also recommended a national breastfeeding committee be urgently established.

The report will now be tabled in Parliament and the Government will have 90 days to respond.

Last night, Health Minister Annette King said she had not yet read the report, but looked forward to doing so and was supportive of breastfeeding.

The report and its recommended law changes have been welcomed by Plunket and the Women's Health Action Trust, both of which are campaigning for greater recognition of breastfeeding rights.

Ms Weatherly, who has breastfed her three sons, said the report was a step forward, but there was still considerable work to do.

"I have a real belief that this is the beginning of a tidal wave of people realising that we have got a serious lack of understanding in our society of how to support and protect people who are providing a very important function."

Ms Weatherly said she would like to see a specific law passed that protected breastfeeding. Such an act exists in Scotland, where it is an offence to prevent or stop a person breastfeeding in a public place.