Female Lawmakers Win Right To Breastfeed Inside Parliament

Female members of the Italian Parliament have now won the right to breastfeed their babies in Chambers during debates.

Breastfeeding members of parliament can now sit in the top row of the assembly or a reserved gallery and feed their children, announced the Committee in charge of rules of the Italian Chamber.

The chamber will, however, only allow breastfeeding of children there until their first birthday. Before the new regulation, parents had to leave the chamber and go to a separate room set aside for that purpose.

The reform was initiated by Gilda Sportiello, MP for the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (MS5).

“This good practice, which guarantees the full enjoyment of an inalienable right, is a strong signal from the most representative assembly in Italian democracy.

“Every woman should be able to breastfeed wherever she wants,” Sportiello said.

The M5S is a populist party that came into power in the 2018 legislative elections. It had many young mothers elected to parliament and has since been campaigning to enable them better combine work and family life.