Newswriting + Reporting

The Issue is Not the Breast
                         Jessica Espinosa

Although nursing is a mother’s choice that is strongly promoted by health experts for its benefits, there is discrimination from strangers who see a method of nourishment as offensive and indecent exposure. Forty five states have laws stating that a woman is allowed to nurse anywhere she is legally allowed to be. About half of the states have laws exempting breastfeeding as a public indecency and include laws related to nursing in the workplace. Unfortunately, many officials do not enforce these laws and women are intimidated into bathroom stalls, dressing rooms, and removed from buildings for nursing.
        Many people, who are unaware of these laws or are simply ignoring them, find it easy to ridicule mothers because they believe women should find a way to conceal themselves. People argue that a mother could use a blanket or layer in shirts to cover up but this can become troublesome for babies if the air does not circulate properly underneath a blanket or if baby and mother become overheated in warm climate areas. In her Georgia church, Nirvana Jennette was breastfeeding her baby when she was told to cover up but her baby did not enjoy it. As a result, Jennette’s pastor called her disrespectful, warned that she would face public indecency charges, and compared nursing to stripping. The issue is not how the mother is feeding her baby, it is how strangers force their ideas onto a woman and infant because they feel uncomfortable.

Our society may have put a sexual stigma on women’s breasts however nature knows that they are life saving devices. Milk comes in naturally once a baby is born thus she is meant to survive by nursing. Whether it is the exposure, the suckling, or the idea that breasts are used as feeding mechanisms, people will find a way to stare and criticize. When someone takes it out on a woman for nursing her baby out in the open he is really taking it out on the infant when one could choose to turn away from a nursing mother.

According to PBS Newshour, Indonesia has been strengthening their breastfeeding law since 2009 which promotes exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months of a baby’s life. The law also subjects a year in prison and $11,000 in fines for anyone attempting to prevent it. Such a harsh law is meant to cut mortality rates in children under five where malnutrition is common. Since breast milk is such a complex formula, several studies over the years have found that exclusively breastfed babies are much healthier and less likely to develop sicknesses such as respiratory illness, pneumonia, and diabetes than formula fed babies.

In February of 2012, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) changed their view on breastfeeding from a lifestyle choice to a public health issue in hope that society will begin to see breastfeeding as a necessity to infants. Co-founder of Best for Babes, Danielle Rigg, commented on this change stating, “In framing it that way, it becomes all of our responsibility — not just moms — to provide both the infrastructure and the social support to see to it that as many moms and babies as possible can do it. If we can do it for breast cancer, we can do it for breastfeeding."

For more information on support for breastfeeding visit BestforBabes.org or lllusa.com