Just Saying | Jokes about ‘breast assault’ aside, Hong Kong has serious catching up to do to improve maternal and child health
Yonden Lhatoo says serious thought must be given to why so few women breastfeed or opt for natural birth in an advanced society like Hong Kong
We’ve all had a bellyful of breast-related news reports, commentaries and jokes this past week after a Hong Kong court ruled that a woman who got into a scuffle with police during a protest in March had assaulted an officer with her breast.
I think her jail sentence of three-and-a-half months had more to do with the judge concluding that she had deliberately brushed her breast against the officer so that she could accuse him of molestation. But trust the global media and the internet to milk the story for all it’s worth and make it sound as if they’ve uncovered mammaries of mass destruction.
All this has eclipsed much more important news related to women’s breasts.
It’s the end of World Breastfeeding Week, and this year’s theme has been particularly relevant to Hong Kong because it’s about allowing working women to juggle breastfeeding with earning a living – an alien concept in this world city.