Deputy Rita Matias, from the Chega party, proposed the creation of a breastfeeding room in the Assembly of the Republic, arguing that Parliament should set an example in this matter and ensure a solution that can remain for the future.
In statements to the Lusa news agency, Rita Matias, who became a mother just over a month ago, indicated that she made a "formal proposal" at the leaders' conference on 7 September for Parliament to have adequate conditions for the extraction and storage of breast milk.
Internal debate
The parliamentarian said that "Chega has already had several internal discussions on the subject" and that this suggestion "was not necessarily motivated" by her current circumstances, "but because it could have already happened with other deputies."
"We also subsequently contacted the office of the President of the Assembly of the Republic and learned through one of his advisors that they will meet with the Secretary-General and try to understand whether or not it is possible to accommodate a breastfeeding room in the management of Parliament's spaces," she said.
Rita Matias justified that currently there is no "suitable space" in the Assembly of the Republic for the extraction and storage of breast milk and highlighted that "this solution can be left for the future, to ensure that no woman has to feel that she eventually has to give up breastfeeding in order to return to the exercise of her duties or that she does not have a suitable space."
Positive legacy
"I think it would be a positive legacy that Chega could leave in this house, also in defence of women and their participation, so that they do not have to give up their political space, the space that is often hard-won, simply because they became mothers," she argued.
The Chega deputy said she hopes that "the office of the President of the Assembly of the Republic and the Secretary-General can be sensitive to the issue, because there are certainly more women who will face this situation," but she has not yet had a prediction.
Rita Matias admitted that this request “is not easy for the Assembly's management” in terms of organising spaces, but it is “something necessary” now and for the future, and can be used by both female deputies and female employees.
“It is something that many private companies already provide, some public spaces already do as well, and therefore it makes no sense for the house of democracy not to also be a benchmark for other spaces where there are women,” she argued.
Regarding her return to her duties a few days after becoming a mother and the decision not to take parental leave, despite labour law providing for a mandatory 42-day leave period for the mother immediately after the party, Rita Matias justified that she is governed by the statute of deputies.
“We are under a different legal regime. For employees, that is true; however I do not have a contract with the Assembly of the Republic, nor does the Assembly of the Republic have a contract with me; it is a public position and, therefore, this issue did not arise, and I can also reconcile it due to the exceptional nature of parliamentary functions,” she argued.
The congresswoman also said she wanted to "send a signal that there is no need to choose" between a political career and motherhood.