Abstract
[Extract] Well the double standard is alive and well on social media today. Outrage - outrage - at women staging a 'nurse in' outside the Sunrise studios. The tenor of this outrage on Twitter seems to be somehow that David Koch, in calling for women to be discreet and classy in their breastfeeding habits, is simply expressing opinion and that this is not deserving of protest.
Let's be clear here: breastfeeding anywhere is protected by law in Australia. Calls for women to breastfeed in a 'low traffic area', or to 'be discreet' are nothing more than calls for women to leave public places to breastfeed. Validation of these attitudes on national television does nothing to assist nursing mothers stake their rightful place in public spaces and to the extent that it calls for removal from public spaces - sorry, 'high traffic areas' - it represents a disregard for the law.
Let's be clear here: breastfeeding anywhere is protected by law in Australia. Calls for women to breastfeed in a 'low traffic area', or to 'be discreet' are nothing more than calls for women to leave public places to breastfeed. Validation of these attitudes on national television does nothing to assist nursing mothers stake their rightful place in public spaces and to the extent that it calls for removal from public spaces - sorry, 'high traffic areas' - it represents a disregard for the law.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Curl: Property law, women and law, contemporary legal issues |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Jan 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
