Any lactivists out there? 😉
I’ve just seen this on the Early Years Home education support list, and am reproducing with the permission of the poster.
MP David Kidney is asking that ppl write Public Health Minister, Caroline Flint. He is hoping to introduce legislation in early January which will make it an offence to prevent or stop a woman from feeding a child in a public place. His bill also calls for the Department of Health to do more to promote breastfeeding.
Flint’s response to Kidney’s attempt to enlist her support for the bill was that “evidence of obstruction for mums wanting to breastfeed in public places is “anecdotal.” He is hoping a torrent of letters to Caroline Flint will help give her the “evidence” she needs.
If you feel like joining in, then take action and write Caroline Flint MP at:
Minister for Public Health
Department of Health
Richmond House, 79
Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS
Debate is in early January – so this is an urgent call for action!
Feel free to write to your own MPs as well – I suspect the more support the better. Plus I feel that writing to our MPs is something that we should do regularly – how else are they to know that we are out here with opinions? It’s not like they ask, is it?
Kirsty says
ooh she’s my MP
jayne says
I do feel like joining in,despite having some horrid bug I will do something about this,especially as my breast feeding days will be upon me before that long once more…….
HelenHaricot says
As I may not get around again – Merry Christmas! [and we got the card thanks]
HelenJ says
oh, i did email her and MP in breastfeeding mother and professional role
Libertus says
The Breastfeeding etc. Bill Parliament on 8th November 2005 by.
It has not yet received a Second Reading. It is not in the House business for the post-recess week.
Libertus says
Bugger. Could you fix my tag-mangling, please?
Libertus says
Found it! The Second Reading of the bill is scheduled for Friday 24th February 2006. As a Private Member’s Bill, it has ZERO chance of becoming law. Sorry.
Jax says
Hm, have attempted to sort out your tags, but the intention not entirely clear…
I think the point is to try to increase support for the measures in the bill so that the government adopts them for their own health related bill that’s due through soon.
Libertus says
My intention was to link to the bill, which is Ok, and Parliament, which is screwed.
The Government rarely adopt measures from Private Member’s Bills. It is too embarrassing for a single MP to come up with a better idea than the
collective Executive.
If something is in a Friday Bill, it isn’t really serious. All such a bill does is give a few MPs something to whitter about on telly and make their consitiuents feel represented, which is infinately more helpful in the long run than having them legislate.
I encourage you to follow the debate when it happens. By the end, I predict you will have developed an irrational, seething hatred for Eric Forth, MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, aka “Kill Bill”.
Jax says
The parliament link is screwed because of your spelling (or lack thereof 😉 )
There is nothing irrational about hating a person who stands in the way of the pale shadow of democracy we have kicking about this country. I don’t need to watch the debate to find that out.