Allowing parliamentarians to bring their babies to legislature meetings has become a topic of formal discussion in the UK. And this week, a committee made up of politicians from different parties concluded that lawmakers should not be allowed to take their babies to the Chamber of Commons (which has a similar role to the Chamber of Deputies in Brazil).
The recommendation goes against decisions such as the one by the Australian Legislature, which allowed not only for babies to be taken to the place, but also breastfed. In 2017, Australian Senator Larissa Waters was the first politician to breastfeed on the Australian Parliament floor.
With the increase in female participation in Parliament and in politics in general, more images have appeared of women who hold relevant political positions and who do their jobs, in some situations, with their children in their arms.
Nearly four years ago, for example, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made history as the first world leader to attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly meeting with her baby.
In Brazil, in June 2021, the image of federal deputy TalÃria Petrone (PSOL-RJ) was widely shared, speaking against the MP on the capitalization of Eletrobras in the tribune of the Chamber of Deputies while breastfeeding her daughter.
What does the British report say?
In the UK, the report by the Procedural Committee, responsible for making recommendations, was drawn up after the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, called for a review of related rules.
The request for review came after Labor MP Stella Creasy was told in November 2021 that she would not be able to remain on site with her baby. She had taken her newborn baby to a debate at Westminster Hall, which is part of the Houses of Parliament.
The committee’s work concluded that the “long-standing practice” of barring babies from House debates must remain in place. The report says specific cases can be evaluated, but “in moderation”.
Creasy expressed her disappointment with the outcome of the committee’s work, saying that she actually hoped that this revision of the rules would allow “father/motherhood and politics to mix”.
The deputy complained that the committee did not talk to people outside Parliament, despite suggestions that they did, and called the rules “outdated”.
“Change will only come when we start listening to those outside the status quo,” she said.
Creasy said he had already taken his son and, before him, his daughter, to the House of Commons. But this time, in November, she received an email from parliamentary officials saying that the rules forbade taking children to debates.
After reviewing the rules, however, the committee concluded that “longstanding practice” should not be changed if the parliamentarian in question wanted to “observe, initiate, speak or intervene in proceedings”.
The report notes that there were “several occasions” when lawmakers took babies to debates “without interruption”, but said that this “contributed to some confusion and a gap” between practice and rules.
When the call to review the rules was made, British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said he had “a lot of sympathy” for Creasy and would not be distracted by the presence of a baby. But he added that it would be up to House officials to decide the “right balance” on this issue.
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns argued that the House of Commons was “no place” for a baby and said she has already left debates to feed her child.
“In no professional workplace would you feed your baby at a meeting with your chief executive, or at a presentation to new clients, or on a stage in front of shareholders.”
According to British media, former Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson was the first to bring her baby to the House of Commons during a debate in 2018.
women in parliament
The share of women in the UK House of Commons is at a record level – although it still does not represent the same proportion of women in the population. There are 225 women parliamentarians, or 35% of the total, according to the organ.
The Women Peace and Security Index 2021/2022, a survey that shows the proportion of seats held by women in the lower and upper houses of national parliaments, the United Kingdom appears with a representation of 30.6%.
Brazil has only 14.8% of women parliamentarians – the worst rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the survey.
This text was originally published here.
