Every week Kevin publishes his very own “Kev’s Column” online, this week he set outs his views on the recent debate about Breastfeeding in public:
After a mother was told to cover up whilst breast feeding at a 5 star Hotel in Mayfair a debate has sprung up about when a Mother can feed her child.
There are some who suggest that it should only be done discreetly or in a side area, implying that it is something that should only be done out of sight. One comment made in the media was that some people “feel very embarrassed” by the sight of breastfeeding in public.
My view is very simple. The problem is not with the Mother wanting to feed her child, but with those who insist on looking at her whilst she does so. The idea that someone doing the most natural thing, caring for their child, should be shunted off to the side or even worse the ladies toilet, is bizarre. Thankfully the law is clear in that it is not only lawful to breastfeed openly, but illegal to discriminate against a woman doing so.
Locally there are attempts to get a café style meeting going where women are encouraged to openly breast feed. I was particularly pleased at a recent community meeting when one of our local churches, offered to host it. Likewise anyone who is in Torquay Town Centre and needs to feed their child is more than welcome to use my Campaign Centre in Torre.
As Christmas approaches we will see many images of the Holy Family that are at the centre of our celebrations. Some great masterpieces of religious art from previous centuries feature the Madonna offering her breast to the infant Jesus, not covering it with a shroud. Why should it be any different for a mother in the bay today?