http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,730558,00.html

Scots move to protect nursing mothers

Kirsty Scott
Monday June 10, 2002
The Guardian

Women could be given the legal right to breastfeed in public in Scotland
under new proposals to be unveiled this week.
A private member's bill would make it an offence to stop a woman
breastfeeding her child in public places. Restaurateurs and publicans could
face fines if they tried to restrict nursing mothers.

The bill is being proposed by the Labour MSP Elaine Smith who was herself
banned from breastfeeding in a supermarket cafe and banished to a toilet
several years ago.

Ms Smith, 39, said the legislation was badly needed. The benefits of
breastfeeding are well-documented, but breastfeeding rates have remained
largely static in Britain, and Scotland has one of the lowest rates in
Europe.

Sixty-three percent of Scottish women breastfeed their babies at birth but
only 40% are still doing it at six weeks. One study suggested that in parts
of Glasgow only 7% of mothers breastfeed their children.

Ms Smith is confident of winning support from 11 of her colleagues to
introduce the bill at Holyrood. Her proposals will be made public today and
the health minister, Malcolm Chisholm, is said to have signalled his support
in principle for the bill.

Under the plan it would be an offence for anyone to restrict a woman's right
to breastfeed in public or licensed premises where children are otherwise
welcome. The level of fine for non-compliance has not yet been set. Ms Smith
is planning to set up an advisory group, including midwives, health visitors
and children's charity representatives, to refine the proposals.

"It would be groundbreaking in Britain," she told the Sunday Times. "If we
can have this law we can change attitudes. It should be as easy and socially
acceptable for a mother to choose to feed her baby herself as it is for her
to produce a bottle.

"This is not about saying the mothers who bottlefeed should feel guilty. It
is about making it easier for women to make choices."

If successful, the legislation would deepen the policy divide between
Holyrood and Westminster. The Scottish parliament has introduced a raft of
measures which have not yet been adopted south of the border, including a
ban on fox-hunting, the replacement of student tuition fees and the adoption
of free care for the elderly.





             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html