Breastfeeding in Public: Sign of a Selfless Mom or Shameless?

in early May， more than 100 nursing

mothers participated in a subway station flash mob in Hong Kong to protest against the social stigma attached to breastfeeding in public. At the event organized by the MamaMilk Baby Alliance， a breastfeeding advocacy group， the mothers， who were accompanied by their children， waved pink banners saying “Breastfeeding everywhere！”

the protest came after a united Nations international childrens emergency Fund online survey of breastfeeding mothers in hong Kong found that 40 percent of the interviewees said they have been shamed for breastfeeding in public.

whether or not to breastfeed babies in public is a controversial topic that has triggered many rounds of heated debate around the world.

in late 2015， the image of a mother breastfeeding her baby on a crowded Beijing subway train sparked an online uproar. the photo had been taken by a passenger and posted online. the caption came down on the mother， criticizing her for “shamelessly”exposing her breasts in a public place. however， the post was soon followed by thousands of furious comments， all of them commiserating with the mother.

that uproar came to an end after the website deleted the post and issued an apology two days later. however， the debate over the breastfeeding right has continued.

PRO

Yuan Guangkuo Changsha Evening News

No woman in the world would like to reveal her breasts in public to feed her baby. But the crying of a hungry baby will bother every mother. If she decides not to breastfeed in a public place since it could mean exposing herself， the baby may keep on crying， which would affect everyone around. So when it comes to breastfeeding in public， its not like young mothers really have a choice.

CON

Tianya Netizen

Its always inappropriate to reveal ones breasts in a public place but many people tend to understand and accept it when its done for breastfeeding. The reason makes sense， but there is a premise - the mother has no better option. In the case of the woman breastfeeding on the subway train， there was obviously another option. She could have got off or covered herself with a scarf or could have asked other female passengers for help. Though there were so many options， she chose to expose herself instead. In that case， maternal love is not an excuse. Mater- nal love cannot justify exposing ones body. Will covering yourself or going to a private room mean less maternal love？

PRO

Its true that babies have to be breastfed but mothers could conduct it in a more decorous way. Of course， there will be unusual circumstances when mothers are left with limited options， and Im sure people will understand in such cases. But Im afraid that such cases do not happen often.

Mai Cao Southern Metropolis Daily

Some people accept breastfeeding in public but hold that the mothers should cover themselves when they breastfeed. It seems to be a fair suggestion， but it actually equals breastfeeding to revealing breasts - a woman should be covered when breastfeeding because her breasts are still related to sexuality.

Breastfeeding will be decent and appropriate when women are no more considered as playthings or sex objects. We support breastfeeding not because its a virtue or praiseworthy but because women have the right to do so. We cannot encourage breastfeeding by relegating breastfeeding mothers to some dark corner to do so and showing disgust for breasts.

PRO

Mao Jianguo Xian Evening News

Some people call it“uncivilized behavior.” But actually， breastfeeding in public， instead of being opposed， has won support in many countries， including those regarded as civilized societies. For example， in the United States， Britain， Canada and Australia， there are laws and regulations to protect the right to breastfeed in public places， showing love and care for mothers and babies. It also reflects a humane perspective and the kindness in human nature. When a baby is crying， should the mother not feed him/her until she finds a private room？ Watching babies crying without doing anything to comfort them， is that the civilized behavior we want？

One will never understand the maternal instinct until they have babies of their own. A mother will do anything for her baby and it shows the greatness of human nature. You may not like people breastfeeding in public， but you should not make light of maternal love and judge the mothers from a vulgar perspective.

CON

A Lalei Weibo user

When we talk about the right to breastfeed in public， its also important to give a thought to the environment and occasion. You could wear a bikini or even be naked on the beach， but doing the same in the street will make you look like a crazy person and liable to be arrested by the police. Breastfeeding is maternal and there is nothing wrong about breastfeeding in public places because nothing is more important than babies. But I do wish the nursing mothers could cover themselves up a little bit. After all， a person can do the right thing only in the right place.

CON

Ludou Weibo user

Exposing yourself in public hardly shows any greatness or virtue. Every person， man or woman， should follow certain rules. In our society， a man has his principles and a woman has hers. As a woman， I will never give up my principles just because I have become a mother. Yes， nursing mothers will face problems when taking their babies out but there are always more decent ways of coping. For example， they can go to a corner where people cannot see them or just cover themselves with a piece of cloth instead of exposing themselves in public places. Our society has been calling for freedom and equal rights for women but women should not go overboard to be a“great mom.” CA

PRO

Ma Diming GMW.cn

Having to uncover ones breasts for breastfeeding is totally different from flaunting ones breasts. The former is a noble act. No one wants to expose themselves in public but when a mother faces a choice between her crying baby and social discrimination， Im sure any compassionate person can understand how hard it is and the love behind the choice she makes.

Different people hold different perspectives and attitudes； even the same thing gives them different feelings. Breastfeeding in public may make some people uncomfortable， but most people can understand the mother has no alternative and will show compassion.

Even those who feel uncomfortable ought not to find anything vulgar in it if they think about it in a healthy way. Moreover， public places are always spacious. A gentleman can always look away from a breastfeeding mother.