My personal opinion is that sex discrimination legislation is a good place 
to position all of this...I don't see positioning the right to breastfeed in 
public as about the child's right to food as all that helpful, the idea that 
breastfeeding=food and only food is a problem. However, sex discimination 
legislation covers all breastfeeding women regardless of the age of the 
child, whether the woman is lactating, whether the child is hers or not. The 
only situation it doesn't cover is male breastfeeding...
Karleen Gribble
Australia
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Morgan Gallagher" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 8:43 PM
Subject: Re: Denny's


> Karleen Gribble wrote:
>> In Australia the relelvent authorities have considered discrimination
>> on the basis of breastfeeding sex discrimination for quite a long
>> time...it is spelled out specifically in some states. Makes sense.
>
> Only if you are protecting the mother.  This continues to position the
> 'right' as a lifestyle choice on behalf  of the mother.
>
> What we want in England & Wales, is the right of the child to be upheld
> in tandem.  Sex Discrimination is not the place to position the right of
> the child, to the mother's freely given breast.  :-)
>
> This also makes sure that it is the rights of a hungry child -
> regardless of caregiver or type of milk.  Whilst it's very very very
> very rare that anyone is harassed for bottle feeding, the myth is that
> this happens all the time.  Stating that the child is the rights holder,
> and it's in respect of the child's need for milk, is valuable as it
> constructs a bridge across the infant feeding divide.  No one can be
> asked to stop feeding a child milk, whether it be mother at the breast,
> grannie with bottled breast, or father with formula.  It's a great
> leveller, making the argument about the rights of a hungry child,
> regardless of feeding category.
>
> It would be interesting to see how cross, and even wet, nursing would
> pan out with this.  The point made here, when an erroneous Government
> point was challenged about a time limit on maternity protection for
> breastfeeding, is that there is no time limit to maternity protection.
> Therefore, is the presence of milk, a sign you are still under maternity
> protection, even if you are actually feeding your own grand-child, or an
> employer's child?  Will maternity protection cover you for a child not
> your own at all?  Does a lactating breast equal maternity rights!
> Another interesting quirk, would be a foster mother who had never
> birthed, lactating for the child (an adoptee mother is entitled to full
> maternity provision, which is why I said foster - sometimes a child is
> in the foster stage for years before adoption takes place.)  I have that
> sort of convoluted mind!
>
> Not quibbling about where things are positioned - just saying that the
> right of the child, should be recognised, and paramount.  It's the child
> that's being discriminated against primarily.
>
> Morgan Gallagher
>
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