Breastfeeding In Public

[Uzoma]

Is this against the law?
How come people can be thrown out of public places for doing it (unless it is)?

[Sqad]

dave......I think that you are correct....look, I am a woman and have a baby which i am openly feeding....SO....what are you going to do about it?

We had four babies and never at anytime found it necessary to breast feed them in public.

Mind you, they were put on solids as soon as possible.

[B00]

I should imagine you'd have struggled to breastfeed 'em yourself anyway sqad.

[pixie373]

Boo- he might have splendid moobs!

[ummmm]

Maybe you just didn't spend enough time with them Sqad!!

[ToraToraTora]

I see no problem with young women exposing their breast but your questiion is not really a legal issue. The basic tennet of retail is the management reserve the right to refuse service. So if you are sat in say a cafe and the owner is not happy with breast feeding then he doesn't have to tolerate it. This is often a source of confusion and bewilderment to the terminally dim, or what I term the YHT brigade (You have to). Put simply They don't have to serve anyone and they don't even have to say why.

[ummmm]

No, they don't have to say why, but if they serve you and then you start to feed your baby, they can't ask you to leave because of it.

[loulou111]

I dont feel embarrassed at all if a mother breast feeds her baby in public, But if f i was breast feeding a child i would be mindful of how i did it. Not to flop it out to its full glory. Some people may find it uncomfortable, maybe older generations or other cultures. I agree with the comments other have made about using napkins etc to have a little modesty. At no time should any nursing mother have to feed her baby in a toilet thats just awful.

[ToraToraTora]

yes they can ummmm. If you initially get served and later do something the management are not ahppy with they can ask youto leave. Think about it.

[Mamyalynne]

They may well be entitled to (without giving you reason) but if they take your order for lunch, then ask you to leave when baby gets lunch - they deserve all the bad publicity and loss of trade that action attracts.

[ummmm]

I've thought about it...

//The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal to ask a nursing mother to move from a public place while feeding her baby.//

[ToraToraTora]

fair enough if that is specifically catered for, I was referring to the general postion.

[ummmm]

The general position is this...

http://www.maternityaction.org.uk/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/breastfeedingpublicplace.pdf

[ToraToraTora]

By the "general position" I was referring to the standard right to refuse service. If someone serves me a pint in a pub they are not bound to serve me again. From your quote of the equality act I see that the breastfeeding situation is specifically covered rather tham encompassed in the general position.

[ummmm]

You said //So if you are sat in say a cafe and the owner is not happy with breast feeding then he doesn't have to tolerate it.//

He does have to tolerate it.

[bednobs]

but it still says "public place" can a train/cafe be construed as that?

[ummmm]

Yes...it is a public place.

[ummmm]

//Where can a woman breastfeed?
You are protected in public places such as
parks, sports and leisure facilities, public
buildings and when using public transport
such as buses, trains and
planes. You are
protected in shops, public, restaurants and
hotels regardless of how big of small. You
are also protected in places like hospitals
theatres, cinemas and petrol stations//

[ToraToraTora]

yes ummm I agree I was wrong I have explained it three times. I did not realise that breatsfeeding was specicically mentioned in the statute you are correct I am so wrong I prostate myself at your correctness. Gawd help us you are correct!

[jno]

don't go prostating yourself TTT, you'll have to see a rectumologist.

[atalanta]

Some train conductors are amazingly stupid and ignorant. Earlier this year I was obliged to report a male conductor for shouting and screaming at me in the Quiet Carriage. All I had done was to ask if he could make the announcements in the Quiet Carriage less noisy. After all, what is a Quiet carriage for ? He screamed at me that he wanted my name and address - he claimed he was entitled to have the information, but I knew it wasn't true. He jusy wanted to intimidate me into not making a formal complaint. I ignored his cowardly lies, and sent a ferocious letter to the company.