So discouraged today...
On the heels of the H&M incident in Vancouver, I was saddened and discouraged to read of the flight attendant on WestJet who repeatedly asked a breastfeeding mom to cover up. While it is conceivable that not every front line employee is aware of the laws on breastfeeding in public, WestJet's corporate response is shameful and their contention that the flight attendant's request was "reasonable" shows a deliberate disregard for the laws involved and disrespect for mothers.
As the owner of Canada's first breastfeeding boutique and a proud lactivist, I am further upset by the fact that I recently purchased two non-refundable plane tickets from WestJet for an upcoming business trip. I am ashamed to have money earned from my business in the pockets of a company who feels that the potential discomfort caused to other pasengers by the possibility of a momentary glance of a woman's breast while baby is latching on is more important than the legal and human right of that baby to be fed.
Not a good day in Canada for breastfeeding :(
posted by milkfacemama @ 8:17 AM
3 Comments:
First, I agree that a mother should be allowed to breast feed as required. Westjet was clearly wrong in their response.
That being said I fail to see how anyones human rights were violated. None of the articles I've read so far indicated anything other than the flight attendant offered a blanket and then brought a blanket. No articles I've read said the mother was forced to stop or told she would not be allowed to fly.
I wasn't aware that it's a right to not be offended which appears to be the extent of the damages here.
I think I understand what you're saying in terms of what happened here but it is illegal to ask a breastfeeding mom to stop/move/cover up and the basis for that is the human rights code. Because only women can breastfeed and discrimation because of gender is a human rights issue, the court has said that breastfeeding falls under human rights.
I would also argue that it's a basic human right to be nourished and a breastfed baby needs to do so at the breast.
You're right that it's not a right to not be offended but it seems that the flight attendant thinks it is which is why she asked the mom to cover up in the first place!
I've been blogging a lot about this issue recently too. I was also discouraged initially, but am wondering if maybe the increase in confrontations is actually a sign of progress.
I have also written posts summarizing the incidents that have occured on planes and also outlining the breastfeeding policies of various airlines, as well as a discussion about breastfeeding as a safety hazard.
Enjoy!
Annie
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