Do you agree that cooing over new-born babies is an infringement of their human rights?

A West Yorkshire hospital has banned visitors from cooing at new-born babies for fear their human rights are being breached and they may be at risk of infection.

But Labour MP Linda Riordan said the measures were "bureaucracy gone mad" and some new mothers have said they were astonished by the rules.

Are the hospital right to introduce the rules? Will they have any affect on reducing infection? Or is it bureaucracy gone mad? Have you experienced similar rules whilst in hospital?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

SUGGEST A DEBATE This topic was suggested by Rachel, West Yorkshire, UK A hospital in Halifax has banned "cooing" at babies, to prevent infection and to protect the babies' human rights. Do you agree with this measure or is it bureaucracy gone mad? Send us your suggestions for Have Your Say debates

Great! Maybe now we will also see a ban on old women pulling at the cheeks of grown children and (what is surely one of the greatest offences to human rights this country has ever seen) spitting on tissues in order to clean wayward toddlers' faces. Lock 'em up and throw away the key - that's what I say!
Ema, Oxford, England

Firstly, babies are protected by their mother's immune system for the first few weeks of their lives. Secondly, would it not be better to invest time in stopping abuse of babies, rather than stopping people giving love to babies.
ES, Bucks, UK

If you don't want all and sundry to "coo" over your baby or just anybody who passes by in the hospital ward to pick-up, poke and prod your baby, my advice get out of the hospital as soon as you can after giving birth. I spent 4 days in hospital after the birth of my daughter and it was a nightmare, with all the "attention" she was getting. I even woke up after my afternoon nap to find her being held by a stranger, not good. So have baby then leave hospital, you're better off at home.
Debs, Chepstow, Wales

I think the ban may be a bit over the top but I see no issue with shielding newborns from hospital visitors and residents who are not related. Not only is the risk of infection great but I gather from a number of articles that it isn't 'cooing' that is the problem, but (though, I'm sure, gently) prodding them and making comments about them (good and bad). I doubt anyone's going to protest this very strongly. If parents want people cooing at their baby they can let them do it outside of the nursery.
Christina, London

Has anybody thought that babies may want to be cooed over and that this hospital is violating the rights of vocally challenged newly-born citizens?
Mark Roberts, UK

Isn't it up to the parents any more? Jo, Birmingham, UK

Isn't it up to the parents any more? I couldn't wait to show my beautiful baby to the world. I don't like it when strangers come up to her in the street, but if my family want to poke and coo at her in hospital, then let them carry one, it's not as if strangers regularly wonder around maternity wards, not with the security in them now a days. Political correctness gone mad (again).
Jo, Birmingham, UK

The only good thing about this decision is how much laughter it caused.
EH, Brussels, Belgium

I hope this doesn't get extended to cats. My cat (his name is Spot) hates cuddles and cooing in equal measure but he gets them anyway. Who's a good boy then...?
Roger, London, UK

As a recent father I tend to view anything that will stop the endless fuss of a perfume clad mother-in-law as a positive thing, this however is quite mad. A little fuss and attention is good for the baby.
Mike, Hull

I think it is up to the parents whether their new-born babies are 'cooed' over. It is not up to the hospitals to say whether this can happen, but if there is a risk of infection from 'cooing' this should be made clear, and that the hospital takes no responsibility for any infection caught.
Michael Goulty, Godalming England

This is Political Correctness gone mad. While I personally do not coo over babies, I am sure many parents want their children to be admired and the germs that the babies come into contact will be no different than those that they will encounter when they are allowed home. I certainly can't see how cooing affects a babies "Human Rights".
Claire Herbert, London, UK

You can admire a newborn baby without handling it Mike Smith, Leeds

As someone whose partner is due to give birth imminently, I certainly don't want my child to be poked and prodded by all and sundry, and neither do I want to take it home ill, thanks very much. You can admire a newborn baby without handling it.
Mike Smith, Leeds

I agree! Why shouldn't babies have rights!
Dodi, Auckland, NZ

I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life! Women will always 'coo' at babies - this is the maternal instinct coming out and as to the comment about infection, it has always been my understanding that babies/children develop immunity to disease by being exposed to it. The person who said this should be sacked.
E, Leeds England

As a Father, I have to agree with the hospital. Older women in particular seem to take the attitude that babies are public property and that they have the right to poke, prod and pick your baby up, simply because it "looks like their little Timmy did at that age". I have even had to stop strangers putting their fingers in my baby's mouth. You wouldn't do it to an adult, please don't do it to my baby. Simply, "mind your own business"!
MD, Southsea UK

Thank the Lord. It drove me completely insane when I was in hospital after having my son that every single person we came across seemed to think it was their 'right' almost to pick up, touch and cuddle my baby. Its about time this was stopped.
Vik, UK

I was always given to believe that interaction with other human beings was helpful to a baby's development. I certainly can't imagine being "cooed" at is going to be harmful to their long term development or cause unforeseen personality disorders in later life. This is quite the most ludicrous thing I have read in many years!
Anon, UK

When I read the article I had to check the date as I was convinced it was an April fool's joke. Quite frankly I am lost for words. Has the person who came up with this madness nothing better to do - like looking at was of improving patient care etc.
Rod Worthington, Ipswich, Suffolk

Too many managers with too much time on their hands. Perhaps if we had more healthcare workers and fewer managers then the health service could tackle killer issues like MRSA and stop worrying about being PC. Having had MRSA and watched my father suffer for the last two years waiting for a vital heart operation and knee replacement I am so pleased that my hard earned income tax is being so well spent on hospital managers who come up with such idiotic rules.
K Brown, Fleet, UK

What Next? Private changing areas for babies? Mark Manning, London

What Next? Private changing areas for babies so they do not expose themselves when they are having their nappies changed. As for reducing infections if the hospital replaced the managers who thought up this idea with cleaning staff it would do far more to reduce infections.
Mark Manning, London

It is not bureaucracy gone mad. It is political correctness gone mad. I have five children, I love them to bits but bringing them up is hard. The emotional support you get from someone saying "what a lovely baby", etc has been a great blessing to me. Political correctness is driving love out of society: we can't coo over our babies, cuddle children in school. Children are growing up in an emotional vacuum. What does this result in? Adults who can't relate together properly. Take a look at most streets in Britain and see disaffected youth. Tony Blair has publicly blamed parents for the lack of respect in society. I challenge all leaders in health, schools and government to drop political correctness and encourage us to love our children. Parenting is the most undervalued job in society but arguably the most important. As a parent I say to professionals like the manager at Calderdale - "Stop interfering with our children" - If you can't then get a new job.
Mark Bennigsen, Cheadle, Cheshire

Oh for goodness sake - when are these blasted paper-pushers going to stop wasting our money on such ridiculous hare-brained rubbish? I'm all for infection control, but the PC culture in this country has become a laughing stock. You can't say 'no' to pre-schoolers, you can't look at other peoples babies, and jokes are virtually illegal. I wonder how many millions have been spent in the last 12 months on similar theories, and how many neo-natal beds and trained, caring, sensible nurses those millions might have paid for instead.
Jayn, Hockley, Essex

What is the punishment for malicious cooing? Paul, Devon

It's complete madness. What is the punishment for malicious cooing? What is the name given to the crime? If "infection control" is the reason given then perhaps the parents and nurses should be made to wear chemical suits. I feel like its a carry-on film script.
Paul, Devon

Incredible. Debbie Lawson, neo-natal manager at the hospital must be a truly enlightened being. I mean after all the threat of infection is clearly much less insidious than thwarting the individual rights of baby - after all when babies react to such things its inconceivable that such interaction might actually have an important learning function. Is it not the right of the parents to state whether they want their baby to be 'cooed' at?
Dave, Sheffield

I wondered at first if it was April Fools Day but apparently not as its still September. I can understand them worrying about infection but this is utterly ridiculous.
Judith Hodder, Sheffield

It is bureaucracy gone mad, the human rights brigade in this country have slowly but surely destroyed what was once a great country to be brought up in, as a recent first-time father I fear for what this country is leading towards and it has on occasion left me wondering if I am doing the right bringing a child up here. We can't do this or let our children do that, can the human rights brigade, please explain to me just what we are allowed to do anymore, that is unless that breaches their human rights?
Neil Price, UK

Then say it's infection control and leave it at that. Babies are very social by nature. I would avoid a hospital with this kind of policy. What next no visitors at all.
L Abbott, Suffolk, UK

If a baby I was cooing over asked me to stop because I was infringing on their human rights then I would Pej, London, UK

Does Debbie Lawson have any children? Surely it has always been the human right of any parent to ask a person not to 'coo' over there child if they so wish. If a baby I was cooing over asked me to stop because I was infringing on their human rights then I would. Other than that, let's not continue this madness.
Pej, London, UK

Absolutely ridiculous. Most mothers are proud to show of their baby and as long as they are happy to do so then the hospital should not get involved. I agree that maybe a 'look, but don't touch' rule should apply, that way the baby will be protected from infection.
Louise, London

This seems to be getting silly. Soon we will be told by government that we cannot even look at newborns in supermarkets. I know everyone has rights but babies learn through interaction stop this and god knows what will happen.
Mary Woollin, Leeds

Absolute nonsense! Since the beginning of time babies have been 'cooed' at, it is a perfectly natural thing to do and new mothers adore having their babies admired and fussed over and love nothing more than telling anyone who will listen all about their beautiful baby.
Ms T Craig, Basingstoke, Hampshire

What on earth is this world coming to? Who are the staff at the hospital to say family and friends cannot look and coo at a baby? If a mother and father wish to do nothing but sit and stare at their child it is their right. I think we have taken the Human Rights Act too far on this one. If the parent does not wish to answer questions or doesn't want people looking at their child it is their decision not the hospitals.
Sarah Tate, Leeds, West Yorkshire

So silly. I believe if nature put an instinct it is with a reason. It is probably good for children for brain development. It might be that seeing many faces makes help them learn, socialize, but something definitely useful.
Levent Aksoy, Istanbul, Turkey