Breastfeeding in public is a right of all nursing mothers and their babies, but breastfeeding on demand to a baby requires certain conditions of comfort for both, which are not compatible with the work as member of a polling station on the part of the mother, nor, in my opinion, is a suitable place for a baby to spend so many hours.
Every time there are elections we find news of mothers who are called to be part of the tables and their allegations to be exempted are not always taken into account. It has happened again, in Zaragoza, and this time a political group, in this case IU, has shown an admirable sensitivity to the issue by helping this mother and, in passing, others in the same situation.
In my opinion, any mother or father who claims the need to be in the care of a child in their custody should be exempted, as well as nursing mothers even exceeding the period of breastfeeding collected by law and within two years as a minimum lactation recommended by WHO. An electoral college is not a suitable place for a child to spend so many hours without being able, in addition, to be properly cared for by the adult, who is supposed to perform tasks incompatible with those of being in the care of a child. The law must protect our rights and enforce our obligations, but not above the rights and needs of children.
The candidate for IU Aragón to the European elections, Álvaro Sanz, announced today that his political background will present an appeal before the appointment of a mother in breastfeeding period as a member of a polling station According to Sanz, "when this person went to present his situation before the Electoral Board, he did not obtain the proper understanding and was told that this was not sufficient cause to be exempted from said obligation."
In Sanz's words, "this represents the reflection of a society far removed from real equality between men and women" and adds that "it is in these details that the Administration has to be sensitive and not allow these discriminations."
Therefore, IU has filed an appeal based on the breach of the right to breastfeeding, included in the labor regulations and the Equality Law that “must be analogically applied to recognize breastfeeding as sufficient cause to exempt from the obligation to be in an electoral table ”. The aforementioned appeal also requests that all other Area Electoral Boards be transferred so that any claims lodged by other mothers in the same circumstance in other territories are admitted.
Thanks to initiatives like these nursing mothers that are called to be in a Electoral table They will have it easier when they can claim their right to care and feed their babies correctly.
