Vancouver Sun shames woman for breastfeeding in public
Baby breastfeeds in a photograph from Shutterstock
Does the Vancouver Sun have something against mothers? Or human rights? Maybe both? It would be easy to conclude yes after a January 14th editorial by Shelley Fralic of the Vancouver Sun ridiculed a mother who was asked to leave a Vancouver store because she was breastfeeding her baby.
Here’s the situation: the mother goes shopping with her three young children in tow. After a while, the baby kicks up some sort of fuss, and, flustered, the mom looks for a private corner of the store. No one is around, so she tucks in and starts nursing.
Then, the owner comes up and asks her to stop because she is offending the customers. Apparently, they don't understand the etiquette of looking the other way if they find the sight of a legally protected activity disturbing.
Understandably, the woman is embarrassed and upset.
Then, the Vancouver Sun runs its harshly critical editorial of the mother for her decision to breastfeed in public. The editorial goes as far as to equate nursing the baby in public with “wear[ing] a bikini to a funeral, or say[ing] the F-word in front of Grandma, or wear[ing] a hat at the dinner table, or walk[ing] naked through a children's playground.”
Ouch.
Let’s get something straight here: parenting can be wonderful, but for most of us it is also fraught with vulnerability and judgment, regardless of whether we breastfeed. There are so many moments where, as a mother or father, you are just doing your best. You're attempting to keep the kid from tearing into the candy while getting through the check-out line at the grocery store, trying to not look like an abusive parent when your toddler decides to stage a sit-in while crossing a busy intersection and subduing a screaming baby while you hurriedly eat your lunch at the little café on the way home. And while we are doing all of this we are also thinking, “Did I feed my child enough today? Is my baby safe at daycare? Will that comment I just made to my tween cost me in therapy later?”
Congratulations, Vancouver Sun. You have managed to make the already hard job of parenting that much harder.
It wasn’t just the mother’s feelings that were violated: “breastfeeding is a human right in B.C,” said Robyn Durling, Communications Officer for the B.C. Human Rights Coalition.
Vikki Bell, Registrar at the Human Rights Tribunal, confirmed that women who feel that they have been harassed or inappropriately denied reasonable accommodation to breastfeed their child in public (including stores) can file a complaint under the sex discrimination part of the Human Rights Code.
The Human Rights Code is pretty impenetrable reading for most of us. Luckily, the Attorney General spells out how the Human Rights Code applies to the average person. Under the title Human Rights in British Columbia, Sexual Discrimination and Harassment, it says: “In B.C., it is illegal to discriminate against or harass a person because of their sex, [which] includes pregnancy, breastfeeding, and sexual harassment.” It goes on to talk about WHERE it is illegal: “It protects people from discrimination in public situations, which include schools, workplaces, universities, hospitals, medical clinics, stores, restaurants, provincial and local government offices, and transit services.”
There is no question that a store is a public space when it comes to Human Rights. It is explicitly stated. The courts won’t come into your home and tell your husband that he has to wash the dishes because you are nursing the baby, but the courts do get involved in commercial or public relationships. Durling says you can test the law by asking yourself if it would it be right to exclude all black people or all women at this place or in this situation.
“Would [the store owner] rather have a child screaming and crying? Then [someone] would probably complain the mother was neglecting the child,” Christine Ash from the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development, said.
“The store has to try and accommodate [the nursing mother]... a reasonable accommodation,” Durling said. In other words, the store doesn’t have to build a special nursing mothers' room, but they also can’t insist that she hide away in the bathroom.
Interestingly, the Attorney General’s Human Rights in British Columbia, Sexual Discrimination and Harassment that describes what kind of discrimination is illegal also says the law “protects people against discrimination in printed publications.” [Have you read the Human Rights Act, Vancouver Sun?]
“Breastfeeding is an important human right,” the Health Ministry of B.C. reminded me. It is also a health issue. And an issue of what kind of society we want to create.
Breastfeeding is hard work. Michelle Stewart, the Communications Director at the Ministry of Health Services, states that the Ministry is “strongly favorable of breastfeeding” and reiterates its importance to the health of mothers and babies. Health Canada has littered their website with information on the importance of breastfeeding. They strongly promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of a baby’s life, with continued breastfeeding up to two years and beyond. Breastfeeding has been demonstrated to do everything from decrease incidence of respiratory disease to increase the I.Q. of breastfed children. It also contributes to a woman’s health by offering protection against multiple forms of cancer.
For these reasons and more, breastfeeding saves money—studies suggest that the healthcare savings for countries like the U.S. and Australia (and presumably Canada) of increased breastfeeding would be in the billions. Moms who do breastfeed should be commended and are by the World Health Organization, Health Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Health.
Indeed, breastfeeding is thought to be so important that it is considered a Human Right: in B.C., in Canada as a whole and by the World Health Organization of the United Nations.
It is “not the same at all” as someone deciding to run naked through a playground Durling said. “We value children,” he said, “and we place a high value on protecting pregnant women and we put a high value on mothers. The Supreme Court has recognized breastfeeding is a fundamental right.”
He continued: “Running naked through a playground is not a fundamental right. Neither is wearing your bathing suit and running through a courtroom. Protecting mothers and their essential need to feed their children is.”
Other women, by such mundane acts as taking a seat on a bus, or in the “whites-only” section of a theatre, or applying to work as a firefighter, have changed our idea of what is socially appropriate and helped us to understand that certain rights should be unalienable to all humans. No doubt many of them received a public shaming rather than a public "thank you" for their efforts.
Shame on you Vancouver Sun for condemning a woman doing such important work.
It’s kind of like telling your old grandmother that her hat is ugly after she tells you she was denied a seat at the lunch counter because of her colour, was fired from her job because of her age and was evicted from her apartment because of her sex.
Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.
Manda Aufochs Gillespie, a.k.a. The Green Mama, writes about issues of health, environment and—now— human rights. Learn more about The Green Mama at www.thegreenmama.com.
More in The Green Mama
(45) Comments
Interesting that Christine Ash from the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development would claim that if a child was not allowed to breastfeed the parent might be reported to MCFD, since it is MCFD's routine practice to apprehend babies before they have had a chance to gain the benefit of breastfeeding.
According to *Vancouver Law* she doesn't even need to be breast feeding to go topless.
I really hope the woman who was ridiculed by the Vancouver Sun pursues a Human Rights Claim against them. She would win in a heartbeat. Imagine how embarrassed she must have been, on top of already being insulted by the shopowner, to read about herself in the Sun like she is some kind of pestilent purveyor of ignorance? It's the writer who can claim that title. It's absolutely shocking to me that the editor of the Sun A) let it pass on the printer B) didn't know he/she was violating a Human Right and C) still has his or her job today.
Shameful!
It's incredibly important that we make sure businesses understand that all human rights and all Charter-enshrined rights apply, regardless of whether it hurts your business or not. Retail stores are not private spaces and the Human Rights Code notes this. Moreover, with the increasing privatization of public space, it's difficult to find spaces that are not private.
The Sun has done way more damage here than the shop owner. But what can be done when they refuse to even print any of the letters they received presenting another viewpoint?
In the Sun editorial, Fralic writes that in a perfect world breastfeeding wouldn't be an issue. Well we can't perfect our world by hiding our babies under receving blankets. The more women who nurse in public, the sooner our society will begin to see breastfeeding as the normal nurturing act it is.
Support the Vancouver Observer so we can keep doing great stories like Manda's. So we can keep showing more points of views, and including more voices from the Vancouver we all know and love. How to do that? Join our Facebook Fan Page, subscribe to our newsletter, make our front page your homepage. Keep coming back and checking to see what other great stuff is here. Tell your friends.
I want to thank Manda for sticking up for breastfeeding women (and babies) everywhere. After reading the original article slamming a women for feeding her child in public, I couldn't help but feel like a child who has been put in time out for no reason. It's bad press of that nature that allows BFing mothers to feel ashamed of themselves! It also makes it 'ok' for everyone to bully a women who is merely doing the best thing she can for her child. In this day and age you would think we might know better.
Your article is very informative, although I thought that by only linking to the offensive editorial, and not to the original story that the Sun reported, in what looks to be a very objective manner, you present an unfair portrayal of the Sun newspaper.
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/file+complaint+after+asked+stop+breastfeeding/4095330/story.html
Does ignorance exist in the world ? Of course it does. Isn't it better to have those ignorant views exposed rather than keep them in a hidden undercurrent?
Keep up the good informative reporting, but be aware of balance in your story.
As a Vancouverite presently living in the United States, I remember my country as an infinitely kinder, gentler, and more mother-baby-friendly than the place south of the border. Guess I was wrong, huh?!
A well written piece, that says everything I wanted to say in response to the article but could not because comments were turned off.
The best (if there is such a thing) quote from that article is this, and I find it ironic that the SUN author doesn't realize how badly she needs to take her own advice:
'You don't have to like that, or agree with it, but surely it's not that big a sacrifice to respect it'
Yep. Exactly that.
I just want to know what store it was...I will never shop there again.
The store was Farmhouse Collections furniture store in Vancouver and it was Kelly King who made the comments.
AS PER the editorial report in the Vancouver Sun.
I will never shop there either!
While I agree that breastfeeding is fine, it should be noted that the article referenced here isn't "an editorial," it's a column. The difference is that the editorial is the newspaper's opinion -- you can find it next to the editorial cartoon -- whereas a column is the opinion of a certain columnist. Newspapers generally give free reign to their columnists to express their views because that's their job. That doesn't mean the Vancouver Sun agrees with their columnist.
Regardless, all this talk of filing a human rights complaint against the Sun or the columnist is regretful. The freedom to expressing one's views, even if that view is narrow-minded, is a sacred human right. Without free speech we have nothing. We certainly wouldn't have the Vancouver Observer.
Those who would reprimand the Sun for somehow breaching this woman's human rights are, in essence, saying that public breastfeeding is a more important right than free speech. And while I support the ability to breastfeed in public, I would be willing to risk my life for the right of free speech. I'd bet you'd be willing to do the same.
If, on the other hand, you'd rather live in a country where you could publicly breast feed but not state your opinion on politics, culture, whatever, please explain.
I agree the columnists should be entitled to write what they like to stir up debate. The problem here is the Sun is refusing to publish any opinion to counter what their columnist wrote. I know there have several people who wrote letters to the editor to explain how damaging the column was. The Sun's regretful response has been dead silence.
This is a copy of the email I sent to Shelley Fralic:
My wife and I have twins. Due to birthing complications, my wife never had the opportunity to breastfed our children (not for lack of trying).
Having given this disclaimer, I now have to ask, are you serious about this tirade against breastfeeding in public?
I understand that columnists are not required to fact check before publishing (unlike others who wear the 'journalism' label) but please identify in what other country it is considered 'culturally inappropriate' to breastfeed your baby in public. I have seen nursing mothers on buses from the Netherlands to Somaliland, a devout Muslim country where you can serve seven years in prison simply for possessing alcohol.
I suspect the sight of women smoking in public or wearing trousers bothered some people at the time. If you had you been a columnist then, would you have written an editorial admonishing them just as severely? I shudder to think what your views are on women in Sudan who were set to be flogged for wearing men's pants in public (just lacking in common decency, weren't they?)
So some people don't like breastfeeding? So what? I am willing to bet some people don't like a lot of things that are protected under B.C. Human Rights legislation. By your logic, an obsese person should have to eat a hamburger under a blanket because it offends my culinary sensibilities.
The fact that you highlight your past breastfeeding may help you gain credibility with the tabloid crowd as you berate this woman, but it does little to explain why someone who actually has experienced motherhood would turn against another nursing mother as you have done. Maybe in the future you can elaborate on why we ought to 'respect' misguided sensibilities that actively discriminate against tiny humans simply doing what comes naturally.
I suggest that everyone on this forum email Shelley to express their feelings on the subject.
I'm happy to feed my babies anytime, anywhere. I just wish that such a good article would have a true representation of what a woman's breast looks like: I've never seen a woman's areola the same colour as the rest of her breast. This photo has clearly been altered, possibly to avoid making readers uncomfortable, so it kinda defeats the purpose of the post. It would be nice if we could see breastfeeding accurately depicted, especially in a breastfeeding-friendly article :)
This is a comment in response to Tyler Olson's note about columns and free speech. Just a simple reminder, if the Sun truly cared about free speech in our current times, they would not have turned off the comments section on that article. Shelly Fralic may be a columnist, and her opinions may not be shared by the Sun, but the Sun obviously knew that this was an article that would cause a stir, they would be pretty unsavvy as a publishing house to not have figured that out. And they do owe the woman an apology, not from Fralic ostensibly, but from the editorial board. As a soon to be mom, who wants to feel safe, comfortable and empowered breastfeeding my baby in all public spaces, I am thankful to Manda for writing this article. Why are we so scared of natural processes - how exactly do they threaten our sense of self? If we want safe, healthy societies, we need to allow safe, healthy and beneficial behaviours and educate people to be tolerant and non-judgemental. Go Green Mama.
People can be, and sometimes are, offended by a great number of things. While I understand that Fralic, the Vancouver Sun columnist, and others may be uncomfortable around breastfeeding women, their feelings cannot be used to justify limiting the human rights of others. It is these people that are the real problem and must change their views.
I believe in free speech. But I believe that women have the right to breastfeed without being harassed. People don’t have to watch breastfeeding women if they are offended. Look away. Walk away. Best yet, walk away into another room and put a blanket over your head. I would urge companies such as Farmhouse Collections to revise their policies as human rights complaints are inevitable. I would urge Fralic to better use her time to compile a list of companies in Vancouver that discriminate against women and to post it publicly. I will happily boycott all these companies, along with Farmhouse Collections and the Vancouver Sun, in the future.
You need a copy editor. I very much agree with this article and was glad to learn what you had to say, but I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing this with anyone since the sheer mass of mistakes makes it appear to be very unprofessional - and thus, by implication, unreliable.
You need a copy editor. I very much agree with this article and was glad to learn what you had to say, but I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing this with anyone since the sheer mass of mistakes makes it appear to be very unprofessional - and thus, by implication, unreliable.
I couldn't agree more - the sentiments were so important and worthy, but the errors were beyond distracting. Simply figuring out when to use "who" and not "whom" would take you a long way. This piece desperately needed editing.
i'll be happy to shop at Farmhouse Collections, since i'm sick of every place always having to be family-friendly and child-friendly. and perhaps the woman in question wouldn't have had to breastfeed in public if she had fewer children in tow to begin with. (before she familiarizes herself with human rights legislation, she should familiarize herself with birth control!)
i'll be happy to shop at Farmhouse Collections, since i'm sick of every place always having to be family-friendly and child-friendly. and perhaps the woman in question wouldn't have had to breastfeed in public if she had fewer children in tow to begin with. (before she familiarizes herself with human rights legislation, she should familiarize herself with birth control!)
That is way more offensive than the original piece about breastfeeding.
Am I to understand that not only am I rude and offensive for breastfeeding in public, but I am also too stupid to have avoided the situation in the first place? Because surely you have chosen the better path. Purchasing a side table or another lamp is certainly more fulfilling, will last longer and contribute more profoundly to the country and the economy than my annoying, loud, rude, snotty breastfed children.
Surely the only reason that a woman would choose to push a wailing, crapping bundle of responsibility out of her vagina and then continue to feed it at her breast (which everyone knows are for the sexual pleasure of her partner) is because she is too stupid to avoid being a, gasp, BREEDER!
You know Karly, go ahead and go shopping. I'm going to take my kids to school, do some errands, get ready for going to my part-time job where I take my baby, and have dinner with my family. And in 50 years when I'm still having dinner with my family that now includes grandkids and great-grandkids, I'll think of you with pity. Pity because I'm not alone. Pity because through people like you I learned that the better path will always be attacked and belittled. Pity because it is my children and my hardwork that is supporting you in your long-term care facility through our tax dollars. Pity because while you are in your facility, I'm being cared for at home where I will die surrounded by my larger than normal family.
If I read this and the other article correctly. Wasn't she sitting on furniture that was for sale? Who want's to purchase furniture that's been stained cause someone just had to feed their baby there?
All she did was regurgitate the facts about breastfeeding that everyone knows by now, as everyone's probably heard them at least a dozen times. She didn't at all address the fact that the nursing mother wasn't hidden away in a bathroom somewhere but actually had the gall to sit on the merchandise and nurse her baby. It's no different than if she was nursing it in the privacy of a dressing room and the baby burped up on a shirt the mom was just trying on. Whether it's from a baby or not, puke is gross and it damages items that others may want to buy.
The other point the original article tried to make was that it wouldn't kill anyone to cover up while nursing the baby. I know it must seem absolutely horrifying to prevent strangers from witnessing the glory of your baby's presence while it's eating, but I think life will continue on as normal if you finally decide to have the decency to cover yourself up while your breasts are exposed. By this point it's just plain stubbornness that keeps mothers bearing their boobs. It has nothing to do with the mother's right to feed in public, or the child's right to be seen or whatever - do you really think the kid will mind if it's got a blanket or something draped over it? Unless it's an older child with the ability to perceive and understand its world, it's not like he or she will feel like a pariah for the rest of his or her life by being hidden under a cover for a few minutes.
and not bitching to a webcam?
Did I hit a nerve, Faustina? Clearly you don't see that having children, multiple children, only produces more garbage and feces for the earth to have to deal with. I pity you, for having babies seems to be the only contribution you want make to "the country and the economy". Whereas I will console myself in old age with the volunteer work I have done for charity, the artistic works I have produced, and the extended family and friends who I have supported emotionally and financially over the years. This is the "better path" and not the self-serving, self-indulgant, self-righteous life you have created for yourself, at the expense of society and the environment.
Whereas I will console myself in old age with the...friends who I have supported...financially over the years.
I too have bought my friends. Isn't it great?
Women like Shelley Fralic are other women's worst nightmare - they run the risk of setting our social development back years. There is nothing more natural or more benign than a woman breastfeeding and anyone who would claim to be offended by it is, quite frankly, behaving like an idiot. And there's nothing more cross-cultural and universal than the ability to behave like an idiot.
Shameful, Shelley.
Nice misquote. You should go work for the Sun.
Whereas I will console myself in old age with the...friends who I have supported...financially over the years.
I too have bought my friends. Isn't it great?