by minimus 143 Replies latest jw friends
I don't mind seeing a mother nursing in public. I do think they could cover up with a blanket or something similar.
I can remember a march down a public street where women were topless in response to men being able to go topless and women's breasts being viewed as sexual objects.
Or the young couples having sex on a public bench.
In comparison, discreetly covered nursing mothers are nothing to be worried about.
Blondie
Something that hasn't really been addressed is the legal RIGHT of women to breastfeed...
"While Congress in 1999 passed a law allowing nursing on federal property, the U.S. surgeon general in October 2000 officially made it national policy to promote breastfeeding. Nearly 40 states around the country have passed legislation declaring it legal to nurse in public, and sometimes exempting breastfeeding moms from jury duty, according to the La Leche League (LLL), an organization which promotes breastfeeding."
http://babyzone.com/loadpage/article.asp?contentid=1110
Just one more thing to consider...
I always breastfed my tykes in public. But I also always carried a lightweight (muslin) blanket to drape over the feeding area so the little one and I could have some privacy. Never offended anyone either.
Frannie
50 State summary of Breastfeeding laws
Gotta add my 2 cents worth.
When I came from England as a warbride ( 19yrs old) I had a six month old baby. All the new family had a gathering to welcome me. In the midst of this gathering Annmarie needed feeding ,so I did as I always did in England where ever we were.....I whipped it out, covered it with the napkin, I thought they were all going to faint ,my husband shouted at me "Get into the room" & told me in no uncertain terms this was AWFUL!!!!
Since I hadnt seen my hubby for a long time( he came to Canada before me) it broke my heart to be shouted at in front of his whole family. Not a word was said by anyone....
I say "evil think evil do" Maybe when some see the breast their thoughts are impure...If we cant see beauty in creation -we need a beginners course.
Well I think this subject has been sucked dry.
Although there are differing opinions it seems that public breastfeeding invokes a reaction of some kind in most people either strongly for or strongly against. This is because few people are truly indifferent to a naked breast in public.
I will throw caution to the wind and share with you the dominant emotion I feel when I see a baby being breastfed and you can decide whether I am screwed up or normal.
The emotion is jealousy!
OK I'll apologize if this is long, and I'll try my best to keep it short.
Besides, as far as exposing body parts goes, I have to expose my hand for a necessary life function (eating). Why should someone be offended by someone else exposing their breast, over my exposing my hand? Explain to me why you don't want to see a breast, but don't mind seeing a hand.
My comment to this is that people don't get arrested for indescent exposure of a hand. They do for exposure of their breast and their butts. If I go down the road mooning cars it's a possiblity I could get fined. The women at Mardi Gras can get fined and arrested for exposing themselves. I understand the thought that it's just another body part, but there are laws against exposing it and so far the society and area I'm in doesn't view either of these parts as just another body part, if the laws change and the general population's view changes on these body parts, then I suppose my view will have to change as well.
My superior opinion.
That's what it boils down to, you think your opinion is superior, really nothing I say is going to disuade you of your "superior" opion is it?
Ah, so now feeding one's baby is the same as playing tonsil hockey, and should be treated the same way. Another great comparison. Just as a side point I think people (including you) are too uptight about PDA too. And yeah, if you say you'd rather not see a woman's breast, and yet you're okay with seeing men without shirts, then yes, your morals need to change. Someone who feels that way is a woman-hating sexist
Oh lord, I would rather not see someone's breast in public, that's what I'm saying. If someone flashed me any body part that one can get fined or arrested for I would be offended because I didn't choose to see it. Apparently my morals need to change, but why not give this sermon to the people who can actually change the laws that say these body parts can't be exposed.
My point about PDA's is lost really, my wife and I are PDA king and queen of the area and it's only going to get worse when I get home since I will have been away from her for six months. So do me a favor and don't include me in your view of uptight people until you've seen or heard more of me than a post saying that I don't want to see a random woman's breast in public.
"It's natural" is not a good reason for breastfeeding in public, but I'd point out that you are again equating this most loving act a mother can perform for her child with defecation.
Okie Dokie, I said that woman could go into a restroom to feed the baby, to which everyone said "would you eat in the bathroom" and I defended that, then it was "bathrooms are dirty and disgusting" to which I defended that. So because I picked the bathroom as an example of where a person can go to get some privacy to do this most loving act it's comparing it to defecation. That's fine, I'll change it. Women should be able to ask a store person to use the break room, or the employee lounge, or the manager's office. Does that change it? Now I suppose I would be comparing it to taking a break from work, or managing a supermarket because that's what's done in those rooms. I train for wrestling in a mass storage room, that must obviously mean that wrestling is the same as storing large boxes, afterall rooms can't multi-task.
Ramps for the wheelchair-bound. Noise laws. Handicapped parking. Inconvenience is a great reason for changing society. People have already tried to explain this to you and you didn't get it, but I'll try again: Imagine if you were only allowed to eat at the mall was in one specific room, way across the whole mall, away from everyone else who was eating.
Sure if eating involved me exposing myself to people I guess I would understand why I have to eat seperately from everyone else.
why is breastfeeding offensive to you? Why are women's breasts offensive to you for that matter? Why don't you want to see them? Why do you say breastfeeding is dirty? I just don't get it.
the act of breastfeeding isn't offensive to me. Since my wife is due in November I'm sure I'm going to be seeing alot of it, hey and maybe my view will change once I expirience having a screaming child in the middle of a store. Why are women's breasts offensive to me, they're not really it's more so the idea that I could be exposed to them without wanting to see them. Like if some guy exposed himself to me, just like randomly came out and flashed me I wouldn't like it. I don't think anyone would. That's basically my issue. I don't think that women shouldn't breastfeed, I don't think it's a dirty or disgusting thing I just would rather not see a random woman's breast while I'm getting my Count Chocula. I don't really know why a woman would be feeding a kid in the middle of a store anyway or the middle of anything from all the people saying how they breastfeed it doesn't sound like that would happen anyway. If you think it's fine for anyone to be able to expose any body part at any time, more power to you glad for you. Me personally I'd rather not see that. I guess that's just my "inferior" opinion though.
I just don't really understand what it is that other people find digusting about it. I can understand if women don't like it because they are jealous when their men look at the breasts being out, but they are men and can't help it - there's nothing wrong with looking. I was breastfeed until my sister came along when I was 3.
Why are women's breasts offensive to me, they're not really it's more so the idea that I could be exposed to them without wanting to see them. Like if some guy exposed himself to me, just like randomly came out and flashed me I wouldn't like it. I don't think anyone would. That's basically my issue.
You're right about not wanting some pervert to randomly flash you. I hope you understand (maybe even better after your son or daughter arrives) that breastfeeding isn't about you being exposed to something you'd rather not see, it is about a parent tending to the needs of their infant. There is nothing more distressing to a mother than being out somewhere with her baby and suddenly have a wailing child disturbing the peace of where ever they happen to be at the time. The most effective solution is to feed the baby. It's a shame that we put this extra burden on them of people taking offense where none is intended (unlike the flasher, whose intent is to offend or get a reaction out of their target).
It's sad that many breastfeeding mothers are caught in such an awkward dilemma: either they let the child scream blue murder and elicit the disdainful glances of disapproving people around her, or she breastfeeds the baby (discreetly or otherwise) when he or she wants to be fed and elicit the disdainful glances of people who find public breastfeeding offensive, or she becomes a hermit until her child stops doing things that are going to elicit disdainful glances from onlookers.
I would hope that by now most breastfeeding women have progressed beyond the mentality of worrying or caring about what other people find offensive, though, and do what is in their babies' best interests.
