Peaceful Revolution: Breastfeeding Isn't A Crime

A couple of months ago, a mother was kicked out of a museum in New York for breastfeeding, a perfectly legal act in that state. For some reason, mothers continue to suffer discrimination and humiliation for breastfeeding, even though doctors recommend breastfeeding for all infants.

The medical profession and the government agree that breastfeeding is best for mothers and children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services leads a National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign to promote breastfeeding, and notes on their website that, "The longer a mom and baby breastfeeds, the greater the benefits are for both mom and baby." (Want to reduce health care costs? Here is one opportunity.) Yet for many mothers it is nearly impossible to live up to the demands of work and baby. And most mothers must work to help support their families.

Just telling mothers that they should breastfeed their babies is not enough. We need to make it possible for them to actually do it. This is an opportunity for both businesses and our government. Representative Carolyn Maloney's Breastfeeding Promotion Act (H.R. 3799) would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to protect breastfeeding by new mothers by providing tax credits to employers who provide a place to breastfeed and/or provide breast pumps. This makes it a lot easier for women who want to give their babies breastmilk and keep their jobs.

As you may know, 82% of American women become mothers by the time they are forty-four years old, so this issue -- though invisible to most of us -- is in fact critically important to a large portion of our nation. To read the bill, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2236.

Unfortunately this act is currently stalled in Congress, and isn't going to move forward without increased citizen pressure. MomsRising.org members are asking their Representatives to co-sponsor HR 3799. You can join us by clicking here. MomsRising.org members have successfully raised awareness about the need to protect the rights of breastfeeding mothers in the past and are working to do it again. Let's support mothers who are nurturing and caring for the next generation of Americans.

This post was co-written by Joan Blades and Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner.

A Peaceful Revolution is a weekly blog about work/life satisfaction done in collaboration with MomsRising.org. Read a post by a leading thinker in the field every week.

Follow Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rowefinkbeiner

Comments

[ailbhe]

I have never seen any offensive flesh from a woman feeding in public. What is causing all the hysteria? Are women whipping their tits out and squirting people? If that is happening don't get insulted, point and laugh at the looney!

Now I did hear of women breastfeeding their kids until they are school age, which should be illegal. No boy would want to be tormented with the horrors of being able to remember sucking mommys boob.

[BillLumbergh]

CONT'd

Women breast-feed in public places all the time and hardly anyone notices, because they are discreet, and cover themselves modestly so as not to flaunt their activity. So where is the problem? The problem lies with the giant egos of a few self-important people who really do believe that they, and their progeny, are the center of the universe, and everyone else should accomodate them, feelings be damned.

Well screw you lady, I paid for this [dinner, plane ticket, theater ticket, etc.], and I'm just as entitled to enjoy it as you, without you flopping your breasts out in an act of social activism.

Get a life, and a sense of perspective for crapsakes.

[BillLumbergh]

...and every couple of months some whiny activist writes the same tired diatribe about "discrimination" against some self-important, overly 'empowered' person who insists on forcing everyone to watch them breastfeed their baby. Boo-freaking hoo.
People who live in the real world understand that breasts are, have been, and probably always will be, sexually attractive to both men and some women. That's fact. Not a "hang-up", but a fact of our culture. Despite the idiocy of topless laws in some states and cities, the fact remains that women have different 'equipment' than men, and our culture views them differently. If the radical nutbags want to de-sexualize breasts, perhaps they should get started on boycotting low-cut shirts, and sexy lingerie, and start teaching their sons that breasts are just another organ with a biological function, like the eyes, nose, ears, and rectum. This will have the side-effect of allowing all sorts of normal, natural, and necessary biological functions to take place in open public places. I'm sure that those with mobility issues will be relieved that they can urinate or defecate whenever and wherever they need, since it's 'only natural'.

[maddogbitesback]

People have to learn breasts are not for men they are for feeding babies.

[SnowFrost]

I don't know why it is a problem for a nursing mother to show her breasts? It is LEGAL, in Ohio at least, for women NOT to wear shirts in public. We have a festival every year where the young girls paint their breasts and just wear skirts.
The definition of what is polite is to follow what is accepted by society. It is our OWN HANG UPS that keep public nursing from being polite. My sister was visiting from Italy and was stunned when someone suggested a nursing mother cover up her baby with a blanket in JULY! She said that is was preposterous and no one would think twice in Europe about a woman nursing her baby.
My daughter's teacher actually pulled me aside when my daughter was about 2 years old and told me that she had been pulling up her shirt and "nursing" her baby doll. When I said, "So?" she at least had the good sense to be embarrassed. I ENCOURAGE my daughters to pull up their shirts and "nurse" their baby dolls. That is NORMAL. That is NATURAL. Until we all act this way, women will continue to feed their babies CHEMICALS that are MANUFACTURED to be LIKE breastmilk instead of their own God given food! That is preposterous.

[BillLumbergh]

It's not the daughters that have to "learn", but the sons. Until then, you'd better move to Europe.

[Foryourconsideration]

I nursed both of my sons for a year, while working part-time, and I nursed them everywhere.

It's a shame our society is obsessed with breasts, EXCEPT for when they are actually serving their natural purpose. That being said - there's absolutely no reason for nursing mothers to expose their breasts, except for brand new mothers and babies who are still learning. After about 6 weeks, it's possible to throw a baby blanket over your shoulder, and nurse discreetly. It was never an issue for me, even with people uncomfortable with nursing.

In fact, one of the best reasons to nurse your baby is the convenience - no bottles to pack or mix and breast milk is always perfectly warm.

[NCGigi]

At one time the ladies room had an alcove with a couch or a couple of chairs. This allowed women to retreat from public view, and from the activities of the water closet, to attend to biological needs. Why aren't these spaces still available? Nothing wrong with breastfeeding, but it is more polite to be discreet. Private spaces for women to attend to the necessities of life are needed in all public buildings. And more waterclosets while we're at it.