Rachael Bews, a mother of three from Edinburgh, has launched a petition calling on the UK Government to introduce a statutory right to paid breastfeeding and expressing breaks at work, along with adequate workplace facilities. Her campaign, titled "Don't Make Me Choose," argues that without this right, some mothers are forced to choose between breastfeeding their child and earning a living.
Campaign origin
Ms Bews, founder of the Nu Coton marketing agency, began her campaign after being barred from attending a professional development programme because she was unable to bring her then five-month-old daughter, whom she was breastfeeding at the time. She insisted her campaign was "not about asking for special treatment" but about "removing a practical barrier to health, equality and workforce participation."
Petition details
The petition, submitted to the UK Parliament, highlights that "breastfeeding parents in the UK have no statutory right to paid breastfeeding or expressing breaks at work," which "forces many to choose between feeding their baby and participating fully in work." Ms Bews stated: "No woman should have to choose between breastfeeding her baby and earning a living. Yet that is the choice our current system creates."
Public response and next steps
Since speaking publicly, Ms Bews said she has heard from women who have "expressed milk in toilets, weaned earlier than they wanted to, lost income, turned down opportunities or left work altogether." She added: "The Government encourages women to breastfeed, but our workplace law does not give them a clear right to the time and facilities that make it possible." If the petition surpasses 10,000 signatures, the Government will be obliged to respond, while more than 100,000 signatures would see the matter considered for debate in Parliament. The UK Government has been approached for comment.
