Topic : 10/07 The Latest Debates

Are the indecent exposure laws passed because our society is obsessed? Is protecting children from the random exposure of sexual parts of the body, Buttocks, breasts, genitalia an obsession? 

The shame is that the issue of nursing has become so obsessive that society has been intimidated into allowing breast feeding without any restrictions as to modesty. 

Legislating modesty would do nothing to deprive babies of their feeding. In the past women nursed in public, but it was not an issure because they convered up. But the political fever of this issue has risen to such a pitch that some women expose themselves out of defiance, as symbol of their legal right. This is more childish than the infant being suckled. But the laws can be changed. 

YOU ARE TO OFFENDED BY A NURSING MOTHER.  I DO NOT FEEL THAT BREAST FEEDING IS A WAY TO "EXPOSE" A MOTHERS BREAST.  IT IS SIMPLY A FORM OF FEEDING A CHILD.  PEOPLE EAT IN PUBLIC AND OTHER AREAS ALL THE TIME.  EVEN IN THE WORK PLACE!  I DID HAVE AN EMPLOYER THAT LET ME BRING MY BABY TO WORK WITH ME WHILE I WAS BREAST FEEDING.  IT DID NOT BOTHER ANY ONE ELSE AT WORK THAT I WAS BREAST FEEDING.  IN FACT MANY GAVE ME KUDOS FOR DOING SO BECAUSE IT IS THE BEST FOR THE BABY AND NATURAL.  BREAST FEEDING MOTHERS DO NOT FEED THEIR KIDS SO OTHERS CAN TAKE A PEAK AT THEIR BREASTS OR THINK THIS IS BECAUSE OF SOMETHING SEXUAL.  JUST PLAIN FEEDING A HUNGRY CHILD.  NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG I DO KNOW THAT THERE IS A SMALL PERCENT OF PEOPLE THAT SEEM TO LIKE TO LOOK AT A BREAST FEEDING MOTHER IN A SEXUAL WAY.  AND FRANKLY MY FEELING IS THAT IS THEIR OWN ISSUE.  I DO NOT BREAST FEED FOR ANY ONES BENEFIT BUT MY CHILDS.  ALSO IF YOU DO NOT LIKE IT DON'T LOOK SO HARD.  BECAUSE USUALLY IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEE ANY OF THE BREAST WHEN A MOTHER IS BREAST FEEDING YOU HAVE TO BE RIGHT THERE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL JUST TRYING TO GET A GLIMPSE.  AND IF SOMEONE IS THAT HARD UP I FEEL SORRY FOR THEM.  ALSO YOU SAID THERE ARE ONLY A FEW PROVINCES IN CANADA THAT ALLOW A WOMAN THE SAME PROVISIONS AS A MAN WHEN IT COMES TO BREASTS.  WELL IF YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT NEW YORK, NEW YORK LAWS A WOMAN CAN WALK AROUND ALL DAY WITHOUT A SHIRT IF SHE WANTS TOO.  IT IS NOT AGAINST THE LAW THERE.  AND HOW IS A MOTHER FEEDING HER BABY SO NASTY WHEN YOU CAN SEE BREASTS ON TV ALL DAY LONG.  ON REGULAR TV SHOWS, MOVIES, COMMERCIALS, IN MAGAZINES, POSTERS, YOU NAME IT AND I AM SURE AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER YOU HAVE ALREADY SEEN A BOOB.  SORRY BUT IF YOU HAVE SEEN ONE BOOB YOU HAVE SEEN THEM ALL.  THERE IS NOTHING NEW TO A BOOB.  AND IF YOU HAVE THAT MUCH OF A PROBLEM WITH IT DO YOU FLIP OUT EVERY TIME YOU SEE A MAN WALKING AROUND WITHOUT A SHIRT ON.  OF COURSE NOT.  SEE THE ONLY DIFFERENSE BETWEEN A MANS CHEST AND A WOMANS BREASTS IS MORE TISSUE, THATS ABOUT IT.  IT IS NOT THE 1950'S AND WOMEN SHOULD NOT HAVE TO HIDE THEMSELFS.  CAUSE SORRY ALOT OF THINGS MAKE ME UNCOMFORTABLE (A FAT PERSON IN SPANDEX) BUT IF I DON'T LIKE IT I DON'T LOOK.  SO I SUGGEST THE SAME TO YOU!  JUST DO NOT LOOK AND EVEN IF YOU DO I SWEAR YOU WON'T BE BLINDED OR HAVE TO GO SEE A SHRINK FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE BECAUSE YOU SAW A BOOB!  IT'S JUST SKIN AND TISSUE WITH GLANDS THAT HOLD MILK, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER MAMMAL ON THE PLANET. 

A BREAST FEEDING MOTHER OF FOUR, 

HENDERSON, NC 

BORN AND RAISED IN PHOENIX, AZ 

I'm a mother of 2 boys (3.5 years and 3.5 months) and I'm currently breastfeeding my youngest. I was surprised at the guest who said that it just wasn't "flattering" to nurse your child in public. How shallow, I thought. There are lots of things people do in this world publicly that is not "flattering."  Anyway, I didn't think anyone would be SO offended by nursing children because I assumed that mothers do it as discreetly as possible, but I guess there must be some moms out there that don't mind other folks catching a long look at their breast...., and those must be the folks she was offended by? I just don't understand what was the real problem for her. Maybe she was just uncomfortable with the idea of a baby sucking on a boob. I couldn't figure out if it was the nursing that bothered her, or if it was seeing the mother's anatomy (which I try to not show off on purpose knowing the way America is so modest about the human body, but I can't make any promises if you are staring over at me).  

I just hope that someday America can be a little more embracing of the fact that we humans are part of the animal kingdom too, and we have mammary glands for a good reason. Someone on the other hand could equally be offended by mothers who whip out a bottle of "cow's milk based" formula (trying to mimick the real thing) and sticking a fake rubber nipple (trying to mimick the real thing) and shoving it into their baby's mouth until they were done finishing the whole bottle so that they didn't waste any of the high priced formula they just paid for. I'm not one of those people (because I  used both breastmilk and formula for my first baby because of weight gain issues), but they may be out there. I wonder if that guest was offended by mothers bottle feeding in public too...Maybe she just doesn't like to watch babies eat at all. Interesting opinion; but just that, an opinion. If she was trying to make it a law to not breastfeed in public, because of her opinion about the manner in which one feeds, I would have to stand up and defend all the breastfeeders out there, but it's fine that she has an opinion. We all do. 

FIRST OF ALL I AM A SINGLE MOTHER OF FOUR.  I HAVE A FIVE YEAR OLD, A FOUR YEAR OLD, A TWO YEAR OLD, AND A FOUR MONTH OLD.  I AM TWENTY-TWO YEARS OLD.  I TAKE CARE OF MY KIDS WELL.  I HAVE A CAR, A HOUSE, A GOOD JOB, MY KIDS HAVE MEDICAL INSURANCE, AND I GET NO HELP FROM THE STATE WHAT SO EVER.  MY FIVE YEAR OLD HAS THE IQ OF A TEN YEAR.  

ON THE TOPIC OF BREAST FEEDING!  

I MYSELF BREAST FED ALL MY KIDS.  IT IS NATURAL!  I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE TO GO INTO A RESTROOM TO FEED HER CHILD NOR DO I THINK SHE SHOULD HAVE TO COVER UP.  AFTER ALL SHE IS NOT WHIPPING HER BOOB OUT FOR ANYONE ELSES PLEASURE SHE IS JUST SIMPLY FEEDING HER CHILD.  AND WOMEN IF YOU HAVE EVER BREAST FED IN ARIZONA HEAT YOU KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT WHEN I SAY IT IS NOT ALWAYS COMFORTABLE TO COMPLETELY COVER YOURSELF AND I AM SURE IT IS NOT COMFORTABLE FOR THE CHILD EITHER.  NOT TO MENTION SOMEBABYS KICK AND PLAY AROUND A LITTLE BIT WHILE THEY ARE BREAST FEEDING JUST LIKE A BOTTLE FED BABY DOES.  SINCE WHEN DID BREAST FEEDING BECOME THIS NASTY, REPULSIVE THING.  IT IS ONLY NATURAL.  WHEN YOU SEE A DOG OR A CAT OR SOMETHING ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL OR ANIMAL PLANET NURSING THEIR YOUNG, DO YOU CHANGE THE CHANNEL BECAUSE "IT'S NASTY"?  NO BECAUSE THEY ARE JUST FEEDING THEIR BABYS.  WELL THAT'S ALL WOMEN ARE TRYING TO DO TOO.  THEY DON'T DO IT TO GET YOUR ATTENTION OR TO SHOW OFF THEIR BOOBS THEY DO IT BECAUSE THEIR BABY IS HUNGRY.  SO LETS SAY IF YOUR BOTTLE FED BABY GOT HUNGRY IN PUBLIC, WOULD YOU LOOK AT YOUR CHILD AND SAY OH NOPE SORRY CAN'T RIGHT NOW, CAUSE WE ARE IN PUBLIC AND THATS NASTY TO GIVE YOU A BOTTLE?  NO YOU WOULDN'T!  AND DO YOU EAT YOUR FOOD IN THE BATHROOM?  NO!  SO WHY WOULD YOU EXPECT A BABY TOO.  BREAST FEEDING IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR A BABY.  WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE THINK WOMEN DID BEFORE THERE WAS FORMULA?  LET THEIR KIDS STARVE?  NO!  BREAST FEEDING IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE UNLESS MEDICALY UNABLE.  

ON THE TOPIC OF CONDOMS IN SCHOOL!  

OF COURSE THERE SHOULD BE CONDOMS IN SCHOOL!  IF PARENTS ARE UNWILLING TO PROTECT THEIR KIDS FROM STD'S AND UNWANTED PREGNANCYS THEN THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROTECT THEMSELFS.  IT SHOULD BE THEIR RIGHT TO PROTECT THEMSELFS!  AND FOR THE PARENTS THAT SAY THAT IS ONLY A WAY TO SAY YES TO THE KID OR TEEN TO HAVE SEX.....I GOT NEWS FOR YOU, THEY ARE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY EVEN IF YOU MAY NOT AGREE AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT.  SO WHY NOT GIVE THEM THE TOOLS TO KEEP THEMSELFS HEALTHY.  WHEN I WAS GOING TO SCHOOL MOST OF THE GIRLS HAD HAD SEX BY THE AGE OF 13 AND MOST OF THE BOYS HAD HAD SEX BY THE AGE OF 12.  I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A WAY TO PAY FOR MY OWN BIRTH CONTROL AGE THE AGE OF 15.  I HAD A JOB, I WAS GETTING STRAIGHT A'S IN SCHOOL, I HAD MY OWN APARTMENT, BUT I STILL HAD SEX AT 15.  ALSO ANOTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND I HAD SEX ED. CLASSES FROM THE TIME I WAS IN FOURTH GRADE TO MY SOPHMORE YEAR.  AND NO IT WASN'T THE CLASSES OR THE "PEER PREASSURE"  WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO IT, IT WAS MY CHOICE.  I HATE TO TELL YOU THIS PARENTS BUT IT IS NOT YOUR CHOICE.  IT IS YOUR KIDS CHOICE IF THEY HAVE SEX.  AND YOU CAN MAKE THEM AWARE OF THE RISKS AND TEACH THEM, BUT IT IS STILL THEIR CHOICE.  PROTECT YOUR KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  PROTECT THEM FROM STD'S AND PREGNANCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  GIVE THEM A WAY TO DO THAT.  AND THE MIND SET OF "WELL JUST DON'T HAVE SEX"  DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE!  IT IS NOT THE 1950'S NOR IS IT 1900.  GIVE YOUR KIDS THE POWER TO BE HONEST WITH YOU AND TO TELL YOU WHEN THEY FEEL THEY WANT TO HAVE SEX EVEN IF IT IS THROUGH A NOTE THAT WAY YOU CAN PROVIDE THE PROTECTION THEY SO DESPERATLY NEED!  

TOPIC OF A STRANGER TALKING WITH A CHILD!  

HELLO!!!!!!!!  THAT SHOULD BE AN EASY ONE...........NO!  THE WOMAN ON THE SHOW MADE THE COMMENT THAT SHE IS ALLOWED TO PRAISE A CHILD WHEN THE CHILD IS BEHAVING CORRECT, BUT SHE CAN'T STEP IN IF THE CHILD IS MISBEHAVING.  WELL I HATE TO TELL YOU BUT IF THAT WAS ME SHE WOULD BE THE ONE IN FOR AN ASS CHEWIN'.  AS PARENTS WE ARE SUPPOSED TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN ABOUT STRANGER DANGER.  I DON'T BELIEVE A STRAGNER HAS THE RIGHT TO SPEAK TO MY CHILD AT ALL.  EVEN IF IT IS TO PRAISE FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR.  AND I AM SORRY BUT A MOM CAN NOT LEAVE A PLACE OF BUSINESS NOR A STORE EVERY TIME A CHILD THROWS A FIT.  CAUSE THEN THAT IS JUST GIVING THE CHILD WHAT HE/SHE WANTS.  AND IF SOCIETY HAD NOT PUT MOTHERS IN FEAR OF EVEN RAISING THEIR VOICE TO THEIR CHILD THAT WOULD NOT BE HAPPENING.  BECAUSE THE LAST THING A MOTHER WANTS IS HER CHILD BEING TAKEN BECAUSE SHE IS JUST SIMPLY SKOLDING.  NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG IT IS NOT RIGHT FOR A MOTHER TO CALL HER CHILD NAMES, BUT WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT,..................AND ANY MOM WITH MULTIPLE CHILDREN UNDER FIVE KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.................IS SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO RAISE YOUR VOICE TO SAY HEY JUST TO GET THE CHILDRENS ATTENTION.  BUT IF A MOTHER DOES THAT NOW DAYS SHE IS LOOKED UPON LIKE SOME TROLL UNDER THE STAIRS.  AND IF YOU ALL WANT THESE MOTHERS TO LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH THEIR CHILDREN BETTER.  SET UP SOME PROGRAMS AND SOME CLASSES THAT DON'T COST A BLOODY FORTUNE.  BUT KNOW MATTER WHAT GIVE THE MOTHER ROOM TO HANDLE IT.  A STRANGER HAS NO RIGHT TO STEP IN.  AFTER ALL THEY DID NOT GIVE BIRTH THEY DID NOT CARRY THE CHILD FOR NINE MONTHS AND HELL THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THE CHILD.  AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE KIDS THEN DON'T GO TO PLACES THAT HAVE KIDS THERE.  AND DON'T TELL ME THERE ARE NO ADULT ONLY BUSINESSES BECAUSE THERE IS AND I'M NOT TALKING BOUT PORN OR ADULT THEME STORES EITHER.  THERE ARE PLENTY OF STORES THAT WILL HAVE A SIGN ON THE DOOR THAT SAYS NO CHILDREN UNDER THIS ___ AGE ALLOWED IN THE STORE.  OR THERE ARE SOME STORE THAT HAVE A LIMIT OF HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE ALLOWED IN THE STORE ALL AT ONE TIME.  FOR EXAMPLE "CIRLCE K"  IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA.  THERE IS A FEW GROCERY STORES THERE I KNOW THAT DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN ALSO.  SO NO I DO NOT THINK A STRANGER HAS THE RIGHT TO SPEAK TO MY CHILD UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.  IF ANYTHING IF MY CHILD HAS DONE SOME THING TO YOU, TELL ME NOT MY CHILD.  

A MOTHER OF FOUR  

FROM PHOENIX, ARIZONA  

BUT CURRENTLY IN HENDERSON, NORTH CAROLINA    

animalcat I am very offend by your comment that women shouldn't breastfeed in public and that it's not lady like.  Does anyone ask you to go eat in private or the bathroom?  Babies have rights too and they should be allowed to eat when and where they want.  They don't have the capacity to say wait until we get home they just know when they are hungry.  Yes I do believe in discrection in feeding your baby but do you honestly think the majority of nursing moms out there are purposely flashing their breast  "I don't think so"  I do cover myself up when I go to someone's house or church but on some occasions by baby is too hot with a blanket, will pull it off or it has puck on it and I don't want to put that on my baby.  How come so many are offended with breast feeding but when it comes to nudity on TV we just want to see more, womens breasts, males derrieres.  We see boobs flashed everywhere- mostly for stip shows.  Why don't you try and out law these.  Get a grip on life people a baby is just hungry and a mother is just tending to the little ones needs.  There's alot worse things to be offended with. 

 I think instead of bickering on where a mother should be able to breast feed in public we need to become more educated on the benefits of breastfeeding. 

15 reasons to breast-feed 

1.Milk container is easy to clean. 

2. Breast milk is a renewable resource. 

3. There's no packaging to discard. 

4. Breast milk comes in an attractive container. 

5. The temperature of breast milk is always perfect right out of the container. 

6. Breast milk tastes real good. 

7. There are no leftovers. 

8. You don't have to go to the kitchen in the middle of the night to get it ready. 

9. It takes just seconds to get a meal ready. 

10. There's no bottle to repeatedly pick up off the floor. 

11. The price is right. 

12. The meal comes in a perfect serving size. 

13. Meals and snacks are easy to bring along on a trip or outing. 

14. Feeding units come in an assortment of decorative colors and sizes. 

15. One food makes a complete meal. 

 Nutional Benefits of Breastfeeding 

"Human milk is uniquely superior for infant feeding and is species-specific; all substitute feeding options differ markedly from it. The breastfed infant is the reference or normative model against which all alternative feeding methods must be measured with regard to growth, health, development, and all other short- and long-term outcomes."  

Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk, Policy Statement, American Academy of Pediatrics, December 1997  

More Benefits to Breast-feeding

• Breast milk is the perfect food for babies, serving up all the nutrients a baby needs at any given stage of life in exactly the right proportions. A toddler may be drinking from the same breast that he drank from as an infant, but there's an entirely different beverage on tap!

• Breast milk is higher in cholesterol than formula. This may not sound like a good thing-after all, isn't cholesterol supposed to be bad for you? But studies of animals have indicated that early exposure to cholesterol may help prepare a baby's body to process cholesterol more efficiently during adulthood, thereby providing some measure of protection against heart disease.

• Breast milk is packed with antibodies-something that no artificial baby formula can deliver. This is because breast milk contains immunoglobin A proteins, which line the baby's respiratory and intestinal surfaces, thereby protecting the baby against certain types of viral and bacterial agents during the period in his life when he needs such protection most-while his own immune system is still very immature. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that breastfed babies are less likely to develop gastrointestinal infections, respiratory infections, middle ear infections, food allergies, tooth decay, pneumonia, and meningitis than bottlefed babies. Breastfeeding even improves the effectiveness of vaccines, which helps to ensure that your baby will get the ultimate boost from each of his booster shots.

• Breastfed babies are less susceptible to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than bottlefed babies. They also enjoy added protection against intestinal disease, eczema, certain types of heart disease, allergies, cancer, and obesity-health benefits that last long after weaning.

• Breastfeeding helps to promote normal development of the jaw and facial muscles. Bottlefed babies are more likely to require orthodontic work than their breastfed counterparts.

• Breastfeeding helps your uterus to contract after the birth, which reduces the amount of blood lost after the delivery and helps you to regain your pre-pregnancy shape more quickly.

• Breastfeeding helps to suppress ovulation and consequently your menstrual periods. If you breastfeed exclusively, you probably won't menstruate for about six months after giving birth, and possibly even longer. In addition to avoiding the inconvenience of getting your period (to say nothing of the cost of all those tampons and pads), you will have the chance to build up your iron reserves once again, because you won't be losing the same amount of iron that you normally do when you're menstruating. The one benefit that you shouldn't count on, however, is built-in birth control. As you'll discover later on in this book (see Chapter 5), breastfeeding is not a reliable method of contraception.

• Breastfeeding helps you to burn your extra "baby fat" without dieting since breastfeeding a baby requires about 500 calories worth of energy per day.

• Breastfeeding may help to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer and uterine cancer later in life.

• Breastfeeding may reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis down the road. Some studies have found that older women who breastfed during their child-bearing years face only half the risk of experiencing bone fractures as women who did not. What's more, the longer a woman spent breastfeeding, the lower her risk of fracture.

• Breastfeeding is convenient. There is no best-before date to worry about, and your baby's food is always ready to serve! What's more, breastfeeding forces you to take regular breaks throughout the day-the very thing that a new mother should be doing. As Marvin S. Eider, M.D., and Sally Wendkos Olds wisely note in their book, The Complete Book of Breast-feeding, "When you breastfeed, you're forced to relax during your baby's feeding times, since you cannot prop a bottle or turn the baby over to someone else while you run around doing chores. Your baby's feeding times are your enforced rest times."

More Benefits to Breast-feeding

• Breast milk is the perfect food for babies, serving up all the nutrients a baby needs at any given stage of life in exactly the right proportions. A toddler may be drinking from the same breast that he drank from as an infant, but there's an entirely different beverage on tap!

• Breast milk is higher in cholesterol than formula. This may not sound like a good thing-after all, isn't cholesterol supposed to be bad for you? But studies of animals have indicated that early exposure to cholesterol may help prepare a baby's body to process cholesterol more efficiently during adulthood, thereby providing some measure of protection against heart disease.

• Breast milk is packed with antibodies-something that no artificial baby formula can deliver. This is because breast milk contains immunoglobin A proteins, which line the baby's respiratory and intestinal surfaces, thereby protecting the baby against certain types of viral and bacterial agents during the period in his life when he needs such protection most-while his own immune system is still very immature. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that breastfed babies are less likely to develop gastrointestinal infections, respiratory infections, middle ear infections, food allergies, tooth decay, pneumonia, and meningitis than bottlefed babies. Breastfeeding even improves the effectiveness of vaccines, which helps to ensure that your baby will get the ultimate boost from each of his booster shots.

• Breastfed babies are less susceptible to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than bottlefed babies. They also enjoy added protection against intestinal disease, eczema, certain types of heart disease, allergies, cancer, and obesity-health benefits that last long after weaning.

• Breastfeeding helps to promote normal development of the jaw and facial muscles. Bottlefed babies are more likely to require orthodontic work than their breastfed counterparts.

• Breastfeeding helps your uterus to contract after the birth, which reduces the amount of blood lost after the delivery and helps you to regain your pre-pregnancy shape more quickly.

• Breastfeeding helps to suppress ovulation and consequently your menstrual periods. If you breastfeed exclusively, you probably won't menstruate for about six months after giving birth, and possibly even longer. In addition to avoiding the inconvenience of getting your period (to say nothing of the cost of all those tampons and pads), you will have the chance to build up your iron reserves once again, because you won't be losing the same amount of iron that you normally do when you're menstruating. The one benefit that you shouldn't count on, however, is built-in birth control. As you'll discover later on in this book (see Chapter 5), breastfeeding is not a reliable method of contraception.

• Breastfeeding helps you to burn your extra "baby fat" without dieting since breastfeeding a baby requires about 500 calories worth of energy per day.

• Breastfeeding may help to reduce your risk of developing breast cancer and uterine cancer later in life.

• Breastfeeding may reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis down the road. Some studies have found that older women who breastfed during their child-bearing years face only half the risk of experiencing bone fractures as women who did not. What's more, the longer a woman spent breastfeeding, the lower her risk of fracture.

• Breastfeeding is convenient. There is no best-before date to worry about, and your baby's food is always ready to serve! What's more, breastfeeding forces you to take regular breaks throughout the day-the very thing that a new mother should be doing. As Marvin S. Eider, M.D., and Sally Wendkos Olds wisely note in their book, The Complete Book of Breast-feeding, "When you breastfeed, you're forced to relax during your baby's feeding times, since you cannot prop a bottle or turn the baby over to someone else while you run around doing chores. Your baby's feeding times are your enforced rest times."

The laws are not "grossly inconsistent".  They simply recognize that there is a valid distinction between exposure of the breast for the purpose of titilation, and exposure incidental to feeding a child.  Breastfeeding is NOT sexual, and the law recognizes that REALITY.   

Unfortunately, not everyone does, as this message board demonstrates.   

If the law offends you, you are of course free to try and change it.  But given the public health underpinnings of the legislation in question, it is pretty unlikely that a few people screaming "OMG, boobies, save us from the boobies," are going to succeed in convincing policy makers, who have done the research and accepted the science which favors breastfeeding, to reverse their considered judgment and impose barriers to a practice that benefits not just individual babies and mothers, but society as a whole.  And if they did, the Supreme Court would throw out the revised law as unconstitutional gender based discrimination. 

Good luck.  In the meantime, ignore us while we exercise our legally protected civil rights. 

BTW,  your characterization "whining about babies and health issues" demonstrates that you don't understand the reason the laws protecting public breastfeeding were enacted-- which is to promote breastfeeding because of its public health benefits.   It should also be noted that the private home restriction you mention is a creature of California law, and doesn't exist in other states.   

And as to why it is the burden of breastfeeders to play unpaid paralegal or pro bono legal counsel and inform anyone of what the laws are (especially since state laws vary in their particulars and we have no idea where all the people who witness the whipping, popping and flopping live, having for the most part never seen it ourselves)  is mystifying to me.  Nonbreastfeeders can look it up equally well, and the fact that they are willing to shriek their offense and cry criminality without educating themselves on the law comes as no surprise given the multitude of uninformed breastfeeding how-to's that have no basis in reality that have been offered here. 

The vast majority of us don't want or need your attention.  Just your non-interference with our parenting choices.  Especially those that are accorded the status of civil rights. 

you said:Breastfeeding is NOT sexual, and the law recognizes that REALITY.    

By calling it a reality ,you conflate the act of breastfeeding with the act of exposure. One does not necessarily imply the other. That is the inconsistency, where there are laws that prevent such exposure under all other circumstances. 

The only reality the laws reflect are political realities. That's why there are often inconsistencies that need to be ironed out later. 

you said:play unpaid paralegal or pro bono legal counsel  

I didn't imply any such thing. It would just be more to the point to simply assert that it is a legal right without ranting in pro bono victim mode about motherhood and the benefits of breastfeeding. 

It doesn't require giving detailed legal counsel. That's just more exaggerations and side-tracking. 

BTW it is not a public health issue. Bottle feeding is not a disease, nor is it an epidemic. I am part of the public and I am not receiving any benefit from it, nor am I likely  to in the near future. 

It is a health issue for individual infants when the mother's milk provides adequate nutrition. 

As far as I can tell, this has become entirely a legal/political issue about the acceptability of bare-breasted nursing. 

It gets pushed through because of the political heat about the benefits of breastfeeding regardless of all other considerations.