Right to feed a child in public - youtube clip of London celebration and Mother Magazine's petition presentation

Scroll down for a Youtube clip of a gathering in Parliament Square, London, UK on 18 July when Mother Magazine and supporters gathered when presenting a petition on protecting the right to breastfeed in public to 10 Downing Street.

The clip opens with a song with lyrics by Alison Blenkinsop, a long-time Baby Milk Action supporter who has independently produced a book of songs and other humour to help raise funds for the campaign. More on that tomorrow.

This and other celebrations of the right to feed a child in public were prompted by the UK's planned Single Equality Bill. See:
http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2008/07/right-to-feed-baby.html

While politicians have highlighted the added protection they say this gives to a mother's right to breastfeed a child in public, health advocates are concerned that in the Bill the protection extends only to baby of up to 6 months of age. While other protection exists, we argue that this law confuses the issue as some may assume that breastfeeding beyond 6 months is not recommended or that it is fine to stop a mother breastfeeding in public if her baby is 6 months and one day old. Scotland has a clear law explicitly protecting a mothers right to feed her child in public (whether breastfeeding or formula feeding). This too has an unnecessary age specification, but at two years is showing greater respect to the recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding to six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with complementary foods to two years of age and beyond.

Veronika Robinson, Editor of Mother Magazine, explains more in the clip.