France pushes for explicit public breastfeeding rights amid study showing maternal isolation

A French advocacy group, "J’ai faim, je mange," has launched a national petition that has been signed by over 12,000 people, calling for a law that explicitly protects the right to breastfeed in public spaces, including establishments open to the public. The petition seeks to create a specific offense for acts that hinder, intimidate, discriminate against, or humiliate nursing mothers. Incidents cited include a lifeguard demanding a mother leave the pool area in Vendée, a café patron spitting on a nursing mother in Montpellier, and a security guard reprimanding a mother at Disneyland Paris.

A separate Kantar and Momcozy study of 1,000 French mothers who gave birth since 2020 found that two‑thirds feel a deep sense of loneliness after childbirth and one‑quarter say they received insufficient information about breastfeeding. Only about one‑tenth consulted a lactation specialist, while most relied on medical professionals. The research highlights persistent gaps in parental support and contributes to France’s low breastfeeding rates compared with other European nations.