Conservative opinions for NIP

[AllieFaye]

Here's a linkto some poll results for NIP. Consider that the site is by conservatives, for conservatives, and the phrasing of the polls options reflects that. It's even in the "In Your Face" section, so it's presented as a controversial topic.

That said, I'd like to point out how high the results are for strong support of NIP. Even the most common result didn't address the lactation, but the rights of private business owners to decide for themselves. Less than 5% responded that it NIP (not nursing itself) should be outlawed.

There is a sentiment around MDC that conservatives can't be lactivists. I'm presenting this as some evidence to the contrary. If we understand why someone views NIP one way, then we can approach our lactivism appropriately. I'm not posting this to "stir the pot," but to help lactivists be more effective. Instead of dismissing conservative opinions, let's learn which techniques and arguments are more effective to different audiences.

[KittyKat]

As a conservative/moderate lacitvist, who identifies with many of the "Crunchy Con" concepts, I agree with this.

I have several friends who are politically conservative, and "anyplace, anytime" when it comes to BFing.

Heck, my mom is completely conservative, and SHE is the one whose example and teaching led me to be NIP supportive, and comfortable doing it myself.

I don't see NIP or lactivism as a conservative VS liberal issue. I have heard of anti-NIP "cover up, nobody wants to see THAT!" liberals, and personally know plenty of Bfing conservative mommas. Some choose to use a cover for their own comfort, some do not.

[hibana]

Like KittyKat, I'm a crunchy conservative, and don't equate political sensibilities with attitudes towards NIP. Also, I think the poll probably would have gotten similar results no matter where it was put on the web (natural family living sites aside )

[KirstenMary]

Originally Posted by AllieFaye

Here's a linkto some poll results for NIP. Consider that the site is by conservatives, for conservatives, and the phrasing of the polls options reflects that. It's even in the "In Your Face" section, so it's presented as a controversial topic.

That said, I'd like to point out how high the results are for strong support of NIP. Even the most common result didn't address the lactation, but the rights of private business owners to decide for themselves. Less than 5% responded that it NIP (not nursing itself) should be outlawed.

There is a sentiment around MDC that conservatives can't be lactivists. I'm presenting this as some evidence to the contrary. If we understand why someone views NIP one way, then we can approach our lactivism appropriately. I'm not posting this to "stir the pot," but to help lactivists be more effective. Instead of dismissing conservative opinions, let's learn which techniques and arguments are more effective to different audiences.

Basic rhetoric. And I agree.

[songbh]

Interesting topic. I've long felt that one of the most intriguing things about breastfeeding as an intellectual and social problem is that it maps very poorly onto the mainstream political "map" of issues. And thus we see a broad mix of folks from every walk of life involved in lactivism, and little consensus -- when there is even awareness -- about breastfeeding and related issues in the standard U.S. political groupings.

WHY this is the case is another interesting puzzle. I suspect it has to do with the fact that breastfeeding in the political sense is primarily about women's behavior, which again is not something that either political conservatives or political liberals corner the market on ideologically. You find sexist pigs a-plenty in both liberal and conservative circles, and their knee-jerk assumption that women exist to please men definitely is an obstacle to taking breastfeeding seriously as a political issue.

On the other hand, there are both traditional liberal AND traditional conservative rationales for supporting breastfeeding (for its public health benefits or as an individual rights matter in liberal thinking, and for its strong "family-values" or maternalist association in conservative thinking.) So in this sense, breastfeeding makes interesting bedfellows, drawing people from quite different political bents into unity on at least one topic.

I wholeheartedly agree with the OP's call to avoid knee-jerk assumptions about political beliefs and their implications for breastfeeding. However, I would like to mention as well that lactivism is not solely about NIP, and I suspect that it's those other lactivist issues that might be more clearly accepted or rejected in conservative circles -- stuff like legislation to protect breastfeeding in the workplace, or paid maternity leave. (Not that there's any great traction for these things in liberal politics at the moment, either!)

[polykow]

I did not find those results supportive at all.
Sorry.

[Ammaarah]

Originally Posted by polykow

I did not find those results supportive at all.
Sorry.

[carabee]

As far as I can tell, only about 30% of the poll takers even remotely supported NIP. That is very discouraging.

[mamajake]

Originally Posted by polykow

I did not find those results supportive at all.
Sorry.

Ditto. Over a third of responders think businesses should be allowed to evict women for nursing. Pretty grim in my view.

The 20% who choose the "it should be celebrated" option added to the 11% who choose "anytime, anywhere" seems to indicate that there is a pretty sharp division between the pros and the cons in this survey.

I agree with Songbh (as I often do ) that the NIP issue doesn't run along party or partisan lines. Many strong supporters at the state level have been politically conservative while feminist organizations have, in my opinion, ignored this issue. Workplace pumping is a whole 'nother thing, however. Don't get me started. :

[angelpie545]

Originally Posted by polykow

I did not find those results supportive at all.
Sorry.

Me neither. I don't care how "private" your business is, you should not be able to discriminate against women who choose to feed babies the way nature intended. This is why I really don't think that conservatives should have a strong hand in government...not to be horrible, but with poll results like that, obviously the decision making should go to someone else.