all women gym bans breast feeding

Women only gym bans mums from feeding

Women only gym bans mums from feeding 11:18 AEST Fri Jul 29 2005 AAP

A women-only gym in the national capital has banned mothers from breastfeeding their newborn babies.

Club Pink, in Canberra's north, could find itself dragged before the courts after it told two members to stop feeding their hungry babies in the gym.

The mothers - Melinda MacDonald and Kathleen Notley - have held meetings with the club's managers, written to the club and provided them with relevant sections in the ACT's Discrimination Act outlining their case.

But the women were informed by management the no-children, members-only policy of the club stands and they could not bring their newborn babies to the gym.

The mothers contacted ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner Helen Watchirs and were expected to lodge a formal complaint.

"We asked the manager what the issue was, and she responded that the babies smell and the space they were taking up was offensive to other patrons," Ms MacDonald told the Canberra Times.

Dr Watchirs would not comment on the specific matter, but said it seemed to be a clear case of discrimination.

"Certainly it seems to squarely fit within the nature of the prohibition of the act as in clearly the women were discriminated against if they were breastfeeding in an area covered by the act," she said.

Dr Watchirs said laws introduced in 1999 acknowledged breastfeeding was natural and any nterference with that right was unlawful.

"Some of the arguments that the child smells are offensive, that the sight of breastfeeding is offensive is totally against the act," she said.

Under World Health Organisation guidelines, breastfeeding mothers and their child are regarded as one entity, which seemed to overrule Club Pink's members-only policy.

If a formal complaint is lodged to Dr Watchirs, she has 60 days to dismiss it or attempt conciliation.

If the parties fail to come to an agreement the complaint can be referred to the discrimination tribunal.

Club Pink, situated at the Canberra International Sports and Aquatics Centre, did not return AAP's phone calls.