rephrasing laws

[annekh23]

It's sad that laws are needed, but given that we seem to, how about a campaign to change the wording to it being a baby's right to breastfeed, rather than a mother's right. How about:-

"A child has the right to use it's mother's breasts for comfort or nourishment in any place they are legally allowed to be, no one shall place any restrictions on what may be displayed to allow this, in particular, no child shall be required to cover their face or prevented from needing the stroke or their mother's nipple to allow them to latch effectively."

I'm hating that in advocating for my child it turns into me standing up for my rights, when my rights are not really the point.

[crunchy_mommy]

Very good point. And you're right, it's so sad that we need laws to allow our children the right to eat!

[tanyam926]

I agree that the focus needs to be on the baby's need to have optimal nutrition and I share your frustration w/the fact that so many people think that BF moms have no place in society except for behind closed doors.

In previous discussions on MDC about this it has been brought up that wording any law in a way that talks about a baby's right to BF can get sticky though bc it is a woman's choice whether she BFs or not (although informed choice is a whole 'nother can of worms best left for a different thread). I am sure more knowledgable mamas can chime in about this if it's relevant to this topic.

It does suck that there needs to be laws though. I think the first step is to have a FEBERAL law, not individual state laws, that is one, uniform law. It needs to be broad, and have no age limit, or modesty clause, like some states do. The states that say we are allowed to BF "if" we follow some arbitrary guideline really infuriate me. IMO, no one should have a say in a BF relationship except for mom and child.

There is definite work to be done when it comes to protecting our, and our childrens' rights to BF. We could do so much if we weren't so busy taking care of our kids and living our lives . Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there are too many other people or organizations that are very interested in fighting for us.

Very thought provoking topic op!