Source: CNN
“So proud that my daughter Alia is the first baby to be breastfed in the federal Parliament!,” Waters tweeted. “We need more #women & parents in Parli.”
The Australian Parliament changed its rules last year to allow female lawmakers to nurse their infants in the chamber. Before that, children were banned from the chamber. And breastfeeding mothers were given a proxy vote.
Waters, who was influential in the rule change, said in November, “If we want more young women in Parliament, we must make the rules more family friendly to allow new mothers and new fathers to balance their parliamentary and parental duties.”
On International Woman’s Day, while Waters was still on maternity leave, the senator announced the birth of her daughter and hinted about what was to come.
Categories: Australia, Europe and Australia
I’m in favour of babies being breastfed in most places, so long as it’s done discreetly. There is no need for exposure. But I don’t consider a workplace is right to bring and feed a baby at any time. A woman can’t have it all, if she decides to have a child (and most women now plan their children) then it is her duty to take time out and care for that child until it is old enough to be cared for in a nursery or by a child minder, and then only for a limited number of hours per day. The interests of the baby/child are paramount.