Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Sarkozy has made a series of gaffes in recent weeks Dan Kitwood/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Oops
Sarkozy: Breast-feeding is like slavery
However, the French president welcomed Carla Bruni’s breast feeding, saying it means he doesn’t have to get up at night for his new daughter.
AS A NEW father, you might expect Nicolas Sarkozy to have strong opinions on parenting. But calling breast-feeding “slavery” might just be going a bit far.
The French president has stirred controversy after reportedly telling a group of young mothers that his wife Carla Bruni was struggling to produce enough milk for their newborn daughter Giulia.
According to the Daily Mail, he said: “For the woman, it’s both a joy and a kind of slavery.” He added that breast-feeding “frees men of blame” because “you don’t have to get up at night” unlike with bottle-feeding.
“Out of solidarity, I do open one eye,” Sarkozy added.
His comments were originally reported by the website Voici.fr.
Bruni, 43, gave birth to the couple’s child – the first ever for a sitting French president – last month. Sarkozy visited her in labour before being called away to Frankfurt for meetings on the eurozone debt crisis.
Sarkozy hit headlines recently after journalists overheard him calling Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu “a liar” and outgoing Greek leader George Papandreou a “madman”.
have your say