Is b/f a valid reason to not do jury service?

[pie]

Not a debate, just curious if you can be exempt from it if you are called and are b/f a small baby?

Anyone know?

wobbly-yes, agree totally that building sites, maybe morgues, and inside prisons not suitable for children. This is because these places are unsafe for them, psychologically or physically. They're not suitable for me either.

Courts are mainly considered unsuitable because people don't want children in courts, to a large extent because they think they will be disruptive. I am not sure whether this is justified or not but I think it MIGHT be a problem that could be overcome, somehow. If it can be overcome, it should be to give parents, esp mothers, the chance to participate in the democratic process.

I do agree with Twiglett re divided attention, however.

Anyway, I feel like I'm diverting the thread. Certainly no b/f mother should HAVE to attend-they have a f/t job that they can't get out of. Should be an automatic exemption.

also, you don't know what trial you will have to attend and naturally you don't want to take your child into a murder trial or a child sex offender trial or possibly even cases concerning GBH, drugs, a person with an extreme mental problem, suicide or horrific road accident. So there are a lot of cases you wouldn't want to be at and you can't guarantee what you'll get. I agree that most things people should have the right to do if they want to but also think a court is one of those that's excluded from this.

mergle..went to waitrose feeling guilty about "mad" accusation.....

am glad you are so good natured.. sorry

Let me ask, if you were a doctor, say performing surgery would you take your baby into the operating theatre?

Wouldn't you need your full concentration, aren't you determing the outcome of a persons LIFE, not to mention the effects on their family? Would it be appropriate to stop to feed. What if baby gets a stomachache mid surgery, would it be ok to stop it and have to get someone else to come along to finish your job?

I don't think that this has anything to do with excluding women from court rooms. I think this is about it not be appropriate or FAIR to the criminal justice system to not have a jurors FULL attention. Yes maybe you would have a quiet baby happy to nestle under your shirt the whole day, but would you really honestly say your baby NEVER cries, has a nappy needing to be changed, wants cuddles and attention? Would it be fair on the trial to expect it to stop for you and your baby? Would you be happy if you were the one on trial with this arrangement?

Of course if a woman with a small baby can arrange the childcare etc and wants to sit then she should be more then allowed to do so, but I don't think that a court should be required to accomodate her if she wants/needs to bring her baby to attend. It, imo, belittles the seriousness of court to expect that.

It has mostly all been said but I have been a member of a Jury and just wanted to say that Court is no place for a baby. You have a responsibility when serving on a jury to give the case your full attention, a pencil and some paper were provided to each of the jurors to take notes (rather difficult with a baby latched on, there are no tables, you are sitting on benches at the side of the Court). IMO it would not be appropriate for one member of a Jury (ie b/feeding mum) to sit in a room with a video link as firstly a baby needs more than b/feeds in a day (a very long day at that) as others have mentioned crying, nappies etc and also the confidentiality issue, afterall you could be out there on your own passing on info through your mobile phone. We were asked not to discuss the case until the verdict had been given, at lunch times we were taken to a local pub and treated to a bar lunch but it was in privacy, the pub was closed to all other customers. I felt serving as a juror was a huge responsibility and important decisions were made about a man's life that had no place alongside other thoughts that would be in my head as to whether my baby was arching their back because they had wind or maybe they could do with a sleep now. I served on the Jury pre children and feel that I would probably try to get out of it if called again whilst the children are small and certainly if I was b/feeding.

There was a case recently to be heard in our local Court and one of the accused had a Court hearing delayed as she was b/feeding a young baby.

Of course it is only what goes on between Jurors that is private and not what goes on in Court and I would imagine this would only be of interest to anyone outside if it was a high profile case. Sorry just thinking that parts of my post last night didn't make sense.

I got my advance warning when ds was very young, and I was still b/f. I wrote back giving them details of my availability (holidays etc) - with an additional note saying that I was b/f, so that they would have to provide me with facilities to express and then store my breast milk. I never heard any more from them!

The previous year I was also called (advance notice only) and responded that I did not need to serve until the August, as my five years from previous jury duty were not up until then (we had moved house in between times, which is why I presume I was incorrectly called again) and that I was having a baby in September.

I think that was why they tried to get me again the following year - but didn't fancy providing me with expressing facilities!