Swedish Woman Starts Campaign to Improve Laws Protecting Mothers Who Breastfeed in Public

A concerned mother in Sweden wants the country's government to enact laws against the discrimination of women who breastfeed in public. She has created a campaign that aims to make Sweden's breastfeeding laws more open-minded.

Kicki Sahamies founded The Breastfeeding Appeal after she noticed how quickly people's attitudes have changed between her first child in 2012 and her second in 2015. She was able to breastfeed her first child peacefully back then, but now, people give her disapproving looks and judge her, The Local reported.

"I was at the library breastfeeding my baby in a harness when a librarian told me, in front of a crowd of people, that what I was doing didn't look good," Sahamies recounted. "I was hurt and upset, and a lot of mothers who hear comments like that feel the same way. They're ashamed, often to the point that they won't even bring it up at home."

She quickly researched the legalities of what had transpired and discovered that although existing Swedish laws allow women to breastfeed in public, establishment owners can also choose to send them away. The Independent pointed out that there's also no law preventing onlookers from expressing their disapproval towards lactating mothers.

Supporters of The Breastfeeding Appeal are calling on government officials to implement laws that protect mothers from public ridicule. The campaign's message is a simple one: Put up or look away. Sahamies and company are also in favor of allowing mothers to breastfeed in council-owned buildings.

"I'd like to make clear that we're not against bottle feeding, that's not what this is about," the mother of two said. "But breast milk is very good for a baby and it's not acceptable for a child to be denied this food in public places."

According to a poll by Save the Children, Sweden ranks third on the list of countries with the best breastfeeding rates in 2015. Approximately 98 of Swedish mothers breastfeed. Sweden also has the best baby-friendly hospitals among the 40 countries that were surveyed.