Mums take breastfeeding to David Koch - Women's Agenda

Mums take breastfeeding to David Koch

If you were passing through Martin Place this morning on the way to work, you may have been greeted by a different kind of crowd peering through the windows of Channel 7’s Sydney studio.

Around 100 women staged a “nurse-in” during the filming of breakfast program Sunrise, protesting against Sunrise presenter David Koch’s recent statement that women should stay “discreet” and “classy” while breastfeeding in public.

Some carried placards with messages like, “I prioritise the needs of my child over the weird attitudes of dinosaurs like Kochie”, while others wore t-shirts carrying the slogan, “Keep Calm and Destroy the Joint”.

Koch interviewed event organiser Amy Ahearn on the Sunrise couch during the protest, who told him that while his comment may have been “well intentioned”, it was damaging. “By saying women should be discreet – that word has a shame connotation,” she said.

Koch also took the issue to his regular segment “Kochie’s Angels” where newsreader Natalie Barr gave him her support. “If you’re walking past someone and you’re seeing a naked breast, it’s confronting and I just think it’s awkward,” she said.

Despite the protest, Koch didn’t back down on his opinion, saying later that “everyone’s entitled to an opinion”. He added that while women should be able to breastfeed anywhere and at any time, they should still consider their surroundings and be “discreet” and “modest” about it.

New Ltd papers reported this morning that police were on standby and security measures were in place in Martin Place, with up to 800 women pledging to attend the protest on Facebook.

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