The Reason This Mom Was Banned From Breastfeeding by a Judge

A mom in Australia — who has been breastfeeding her 11-month-old son without issue since he was born — is now being banned by a judge from continuing to do so. The father of the young boy expressed concern to the court after a parental dispute with the baby's mother over a tattoo that she got four weeks ago, claiming that she has put the baby at risk despite reporting negative results on hepatitis and HIV tests.

Federal Circuit Court Judge Matthew Myers made his ruling based on information from the Australian Breastfeeding Association — but the ABA's chief executive, Rebecca Naylor, is worried about the outcome.

She said: "Tattooing is a regulated industry, so if you go to a tattoo parlor that is reputable, then the chances [of contracting an infection] are very low . . . unless there's evidence that she has contracted an infection as a result of that tattoo, then it is unreasonable."

But even more than that, Naylor is concerned that in successfully making this ruling, the judge is controlling the risk-taking behaviors of women. She commented: "Of course we have to consider the risk to babies, and I'm not in any way dismissing that . . . But it doesn't mean that you have to wrap yourself in Glad wrap."

Dr. Karleen Gribble, from the University of Western Sydney, is also worried about the implications of the ruling: "I think when it comes to mothers and breastfeeding, we need to consider that mothers are people, they do things . . . Sometimes there's a risk associated with what they do, but . . . Most people consider that the risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis from using a tattoo parlor . . . is infinitesimally small."