Replies to '10/07 The Latest Debates'

With three grown sons born in the early 1970's and 80's and five years apart or more I experienced changes in the mood of the country and the medical field on breastfeeding with each birth.  I breastfed all of them, did it successfully, had loving support from my family and many older adults and still cherish the memories of those times with my babies.  It is a very special time for bonding with our children but I do not consider it a private time.  It is not a private time when we feed our children any other way or at any other age.  Nursing is a natural way to feed an infant - it is how our bodies are made.  Everyone makes their own choice but your milk comes in whether you decide to nurse or not.  You have to do something unnatural to stop your milk production.  Children everywhere should know the loving, nurturing, natural aspect of breastfeeding whether their families have done it or not.  It should be a natural way of life as in most other countries.   

In an age of total immodesty where wearing negligee tops out in public, etc. is acceptable, it is surprising somehow to find out that doing something so natural and basic with our women's bodies is even up for discussion, let alone debate.  And that brings us to the fact that there is no debate.  It is a United States of America civil right to breastfeed our children.   

Currently at least thirty-four states have some type of legislation dealing with the protection of breastfeeding mothers.  The American Medical Association has adopted a resolution urging states to pass legislation protecting a mother's right to breastfeed in public.  In a report for Congress from 2003, A Summary of State Breastfeeding Laws states that "one of the stated objectives of the U.S. Public Health Service is to increase the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their children".  See the U.S. Public Health Service report "Healthy People 2010".   It upholds the fact that breastfeeding is healthy for mother and child.   

California, Illinois, Missouri and Vermont have implemented or encouraged development of breastfeeding awareness education campaigns.   

Florida created a new law in 1993 that states that breastfeeding is an important and basic act of nature that needs to be encouraged in the interests of mothers and childrens health.   

Minnesota law states that a mother may breastfeed in any location - irrespective of whether the nipple of the mother's breast is uncovered during or incidental to the breastfeeding.  Most states now uphold breastfeeding in any place where the mother has a right to be.   

In a time where modesty is so "out-of-date" why are so many discussing going back to Victorian times with this issue?  I believe that it is because we are becoming uncomfortable with standards that bring us back to the times of decency, before we crossed the line where everything else became our "right".