An Auckland mum claims she was forced to get off the bus she was travelling on because a passenger objected to her breastfeeding her crying newborn.
Jamie Deane was catching a bus from the West Auckland suburb of Henderson to Massey about 4.30pm last Friday when the incident occurred Fairfax reported.
Ms Deane said her daughter began to cry during the trip and, to calm her she started breastfeeding.
But a passenger reportedly took offence to this and complained to the bus driver, who then soon after stopped the bus on Makora Rd and requested Ms Deane get off.
"He said 'you can't be breastfeeding on a bus. That's just wrong'," the Ranui resident told Fairfax.
"I was so angry. I was fully covered and had a cloth over me. You couldn't see any skin."
Ms Deane said she was then left having to walk 20 minutes to a friend's house in the area in sweltering temperatures.
Ms Deane said she felt it was an increasing occurrence to abuse breastfeeding women in the area she lives, Ranui, and she doesn't understand the fuss.
"A lot of women around here are getting abused because of breastfeeding in public. I just don't see what the point is.
"It's just stupid how people are so offended by breastfeeding."
Ms Deane said no other passenger on the bus came to her defence as she was kicked off.
General manager of NZ Bus, the service on which the breastfeeding incident happened, said they had not received reports of the incident but it would be investigated by them.
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