Starbucks responded to a physiotherapist from Cape Town who said the establishment would not let her pump breastmilk in Cavendish Square, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Also read: Woman slams Stormers fan for complaining about breastfeeding
About two weeks ago, Lauren Ellis made a post on Instagram in which she described an experience at Starbucks that left her ‘appalled’.
In an interview with Sara-Jayne Makwala King of CapeTalk, Ellis explained that she is always mindful of those around her as she is aware of the stigma around breastfeeding in public.
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She said she sat in the corner, wearing a feeding top which allowed her to open it discreetly to place the pump and closed the pump flange with her hand.
However, she said she was approached by a staff member who asked her to ‘cover up’ as she ‘couldn’t do that’ in their store.
She was then informed by the manager that no one had complained about her.
‘The bottom line is it’s not a Starbucks issue, this is a global issue. This is something that happens day in and day out where moms are shamed for trying to nourish their babies in all settings,’ she told CapeTalk.
Starbucks responded to CapeTalk with a statement, in which it said that it was aware of the incident, adding that ‘at no point was the guest asked to leave the store.’
It stated that one of its employees respectfully asked Ellis to cover up for more privacy.
‘We fully support a mother’s right to breastfeed and pump milk respectfully if needed, in our stores and understand the importance of this for many mothers.
‘We would gladly make them comfortable in the store’s office too, if they requested a safe and private place to do so.
‘The intent of the partner was solely to offer the guest an option for greater privacy, not to cause any distress or discomfort for her, or any other patrons in the store,’ the coffeehouse chain said.
Several Instagram users voiced their support for Ellis on her page, including South African environmentalist Catherine Constantinides.
What does the law say?
Breastfeeding in public has remained a controversial topic due to stigma. The South African Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative (MBFI) – previously known as the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) – was developed and implemented in the 1990s in response to the Innocenti Declaration on the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.
In 2018, Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Human Development (CoE-HUMAN) policy analyst Patricia Martin-Wiesner investigated to better understand the policy determinants of breastfeeding in South Africa.
The report was done in collaboration with the Department of Health and civil society organisations.
‘As is evident from the preceding figure, the South African MBFI envisages its 13 steps as forming a continuum of care that starts antenatally in a facility, and continues after birth in a supportive home and community environment,’ Martin-Wiesner wrote in her report titled A policy-friendly environment for breastfeeding: A review of South Africa’s progress in systematising its international and national responsibilities to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.
‘The Government’s responsibilities thus extend to ensuring an enabling and supportive legal and social environment across the full continuum of care.’
‘It has committed to the provision of quality counselling in the antenatal period, the establishment of breastfeeding support groups in communities, prevention of discrimination against breastfeeding in public, and the regulation of the marketing of breastmilk substitutes.’
South African law does not have detailed rules specifically about breastfeeding or pumping in public as some other countries do.
However, the Constitution’s focus on dignity and equality helps support a mother’s right to breastfeed without facing discrimination.
The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act also plays a role in preventing unfair treatment, including that experienced by breastfeeding mothers, while the Children’s Act highlights the importance of child health, which supports breastfeeding practices.
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Picture: Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash
