Breastfeed ban sparks mothers' mall protest

[DroversDog]

Breastfeed ban sparks mothers' mall protest

Glenda Kwek
January 20, 2011


Michelle O'Connor nurses her four month old son Mijandro during the mall protest in Montreal. Photo: Reuters

Australian mall owners say mothers are free to breastfeed children in their centres, after outrage in Canada over the treatment of a woman who was forced to leave a store in Montreal for nursing her baby.

Shannon Smith, 36, was shopping at a children's store two weeks ago when her five-month-old daughter became hungry.

She walked to a quiet area of the Orchestra outlet to breastfeed her infant and was joined by another mother. But both of them were told by a shop attendant to stop nursing.

Humiliated, Ms Smith, a mother-of-three, left but later blogged about her experience, prompting a breastfeeding protest in front of the store that attracted more than 100 mothers.

"It's shocking to me that, in 2011, people still have an attitude that women shouldn't breastfeed in public," Ms Smith told The Canadian Press.

"I think it's absurd, especially in a children's clothing store."

Another mother at the nurse-in protest told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that Ms Smith's experience wasn't unique.

"It's really frustrating, because, you know, it's such a basic common human thing to be able to do that for your child," Wynona McCarthy said.

Two of Australia's biggest shopping centres owners, Westfield and Centro, said that breastfeeding in public would not be an issue in the common areas of their buildings.

"Absolutely not," said Westfield spokeswoman Julia Clarke. "There's comfortable sitting around the malls, so if someone wants to breastfeed there, that's fine."
Centro Property Group, which runs 22 shopping centres in NSW, said there was a high tolerance for public breastfeeding in Australia. "We wouldn't be kicking them out," a spokeswoman said.

However, Australia has also had breastfeeding controversies. In 2003, Kirstie Marshall was ejected from the Victorian Parliament for nursing her 11-day-old baby.

In 2007, NSW became the first Parliament in Australia to allow mothers to nurse in both the upper and lower chambers.

The Orchestra store in Montreal has since apologised to Ms Smith and blamed the incident on a new employee who was not properly trained, The Canadian Press reported.

[Bower]

The first survival instinct should be supressed, how strange.
Anyone who can be offended by the sight of a mother breast feeding her newborn really does need therapy.

[peterpan]

Beats me as well. but these Canadians are funny cvnts, they are trying to Ban some Dire straits songs because they are racist.

[blue]

its being banned because homosexual ' fathers' cannot do it , they want everyone brought down to thier level,
2nd rate powdered cows milk.

[Bower]

its being banned because homosexual ' fathers' cannot do it , they want everyone brought down to thier level,
2nd rate powdered cows milk.

blue, your ability and entusiasum to connect all the worlds problems to the 'gay' fraternity is a constant source of amusment to me.

[billy the kid]

not being able to tit feed your baby outside
when it wants it
never could understand this ruling
always thought it normal and natural even cute.
who are the sick fokers ?

[zygote1]

Take a good look at the picture, now contemplate when one of those ugly wenches pulls out her breast in the middle of a store and makes a display of feeding her child. How would you like it if someone did that in your business? Why couldn't she go out into the quiet rest areas or off to a corner in the store? There is a way to discreetly breast feed and I'm willing to bet that none of these people understands that. The world has to stop for them and their muling, puking kids. I do not need to be sitting in the food court eating my shish taouk and next table over is some kid puking up breast milk. Montreal is a liberated anything goes kind of town. No one cares about the breast feeding aspect, but most likely how is done. Would it kill these peopleto go and sit in the quiet areas? Most big Canadian cities are 30-40% visible minorities like south east asian, arab, carribean or african. Alot of the young shop clerks are drawn from these minorities and in their cultures they don't breast feed in a store.

[Bower]

Take a good look at the picture, now contemplate when one of those ugly wenches pulls out her breast in the middle of a store and makes a display of feeding her child. How would you like it if someone did that in your business? Why couldn't she go out into the quiet rest areas or off to a corner in the store? There is a way to discreetly breast feed and I'm willing to bet that none of these people understands that. The world has to stop for them and their muling, puking kids. I do not need to be sitting in the food court eating my shish taouk and next table over is some kid puking up breast milk. Montreal is a liberated anything goes kind of town. No one cares about the breast feeding aspect, but most likely how is done. Would it kill these peopleto go and sit in the quiet areas? Most big Canadian cities are 30-40% visible minorities like south east asian, arab, carribean or african. Alot of the young shop clerks are drawn from these minorities and in their cultures they don't breast feed in a store.

If you have a point, i think you missed the point....it was a shop selling childrens clothes !

[FlyFree]

Now why on earth is it that the baby has a hat on that looks like a big tit. Is it possible that the whole issue is an intentional set-up to create controversy?

[billy the kid]

looks like a couple of babies are being fed.

[FlyFree]

looks like a couple of babies are being fed.

...with a big tit on the head. By 'coincidence', the tit is the most prominent thing in the pic. In fact, if one had to title the pic 'The Tit' might be appropriate.

A stunt.

[Simon43]

What I want to know is why a mother called Michelle O'Connor has called her son Mijandro.

Maybe I'm a bit out of touch, but that name sounds like something out of 'The Hobbit'

Simon

[Bower]

looks like a couple of babies are being fed.

...with a big tit on the head. By 'coincidence', the tit is the most prominent thing in the pic. In fact, if one had to title the pic 'The Tit' might be appropriate.

A stunt.

It does say in the article that after blogging about her experience 100 breast feeding mothers met up at the store to protest.

[HollyGoodhead]

Take a good look at the picture, now contemplate when one of those ugly wenches pulls out her breast in the middle of a store and makes a display of feeding her child. How would you like it if someone did that in your business? Why couldn't she go out into the quiet rest areas or off to a corner in the store? There is a way to discreetly breast feed and I'm willing to bet that none of these people understands that. The world has to stop for them and their muling, puking kids. I do not need to be sitting in the food court eating my shish taouk and next table over is some kid puking up breast milk. Montreal is a liberated anything goes kind of town. No one cares about the breast feeding aspect, but most likely how is done. Would it kill these peopleto go and sit in the quiet areas? Most big Canadian cities are 30-40% visible minorities like south east asian, arab, carribean or african. Alot of the young shop clerks are drawn from these minorities and in their cultures they don't breast feed in a store.

She walked to a quiet area of the Orchestra outlet to breastfeed her infant

it would seem that's what she did.

[Norton]

blue, your ability and entusiasum to connect all the worlds problems to the 'gay' fraternity is a constant source of amusment to me.

Blue is slipping a bit. Missed a chance to score additional connection. "gay muslim fraternity" much better.