You can't fault Elizabeth Weatherly for trying to leverage the Human Rights Act into defending the right to breastfeed. Armed with good intentions, the Human Rights Act means anything to all people including lactating mothers.
Mrs Weatherly began her campaign after staff at a childcare centre objected to her breastfeeding in the cloakroom. Now she wants a law should protect women's right to breastfeed and a child's right to be fed. While I sympathise with her plight, making a law about it is over the top.
If any childcare centre wants to play fuddy-duddy over breastfeeding, that's their loss. Go elsewhere. Word-of-mouth, ringing the local rag, writing a Letter to the Editor thereof, ringing talkback, blogging, hell there's a hundred ways to take the piss or ridicule them. If it's bad enough for business, they might change their policy.
In the many restaurants I've worked, there have been many occasions when Mums have discreetly popped their tops for the sprog. Big deal.
If anything, I take more objection to the three-wheel drive strollers that clutter the pathways between the tables. For an example of this phenomenon, I recommend going to brunch at Andiamo in Herne Bay, Orkland one weekend. They need a frickin' valet parking service for them or something.
There were I times when I wished I was allowed to use Kiddy-strength mace on some of the diners' progeny. When you're running around with scalding hot plates or teetering trays of glassware, the last thing you want his some uncontrolled rugrat to get under your feet.
Breastfeeding is nothing like letting kids run free and express themselves. While the former is unobtrusive, the latter needs a goddamn health warning. Context is everything.
