Your views: Why take photo of breastfeeding mum?

NG YONG DA

Why take photo of breastfeeding mum?

There is nothing wrong with Ms Cheryl Lee breastfeeding her baby in public.

But there is something really wrong with the person who took a photo of her and put it online.

Breastfeeding in public is not indecent, sinful, shameful or criminal.

It is not as if Ms Lee deliberately exposed her breast for no reason at all. Her baby was hungry and needed to be fed.

It takes great courage to breastfeed in public here, especially in an MRT train.

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There are bound to be people who stare, instead of looking away and giving her and her baby privacy.

These people lack basic manners, courtesy and respect for others.

And the person who took the picture is no different from upskirt perverts and those who secretly film unsuspecting women in toilets and changing rooms.

EUNICE LI DAN YUE

She should have covered up

The mother breastfeeding her baby should have covered up, to attract less attention on public transport.

Nursing in public may be getting more acceptable, but in a conservative country such as Singapore, people may still find it hard to accept it.

Breastfeeding has benefits for both mother and child. The baby will be more resistant to disease. And it will help the mother lose her pregnancy weight gain lower her chances of developing breast cancer.

Nursing rooms can easily be found in many countries. Singapore should also consider providing more of them, even in MRT stations, to save mothers from the embarrassment of nursing in public.

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