Breastfeeding in Public

When mothers describe the joy of bonding with their babies by breastfeeding, it so something
that all mother would want to experience. Making the decision to breastfeed is a personal matter.
Its also one thats likely to draw strong opinions from friends and family. The moral fervor
surrounding breastfeeding continues undebated, with a steady stream of advocacy and education
campaigns. The effect of the moral fervor surrounding breastfeeding goes beyond more
shamming. It also reflects, and reinforces, the division of race and class that have long
characterized American social life.
Although 91 percent of women in the top income quintile breastfeeding, 71 percent of those
below the poverty
line initiate
breastfeeding.
Whereas 81 percent
of white and 62
percent of black
women breastfeed.
Breastfeeding is a life
style choice the
Figure 1. Conducted a survey and asked 100 people what they thought about
majority of women
Breastfeeding in Public
make, but it is more
common among
white middle and
upper class parents
(Jung 2015).
The chart was created
from a nonrepresentative sample
of one hundred
random people asked
the same question. When doing the survey, 51 percent of people thought that breastfeeding in
public is perfectly natural and did not affect them. While 11 percent either thought it was wrong
or didnt care or mind it. While some people do find breastfeeding offensive, these findings
suggest strong public support for mothers who breastfeed in public. While breastfeeding in
public has become much more acceptable, many women still find the experience awkward and
embarrassing. It doesnt help that finding a secluded room in which to nurse a baby is not always
possible.

The University of North

Texas Students have
launched a controversial ad
campaign to support a
mothers right to breastfeed
in public. The project is
titled When Nurture Calls
and aims to bring awareness
to the lactose loophole that
some say exists in Texas.
While state law allows
mothers to breastfeed in
public, it also gives private
business owners the right to
refuse service to anyone.
Figure 2.Students from the University of North Texas created a project called
The two laws are odds for
mothers who want to
When Nurture Calls
breastfeed in public and
have complained that some businesses will kick them out when they try to feed their children.
(CBS, 2014).
More than one in 10 people who responded to the Department of Health, Social Services and
Public Safety questionnaire said they believe that women should only breastfeed their babies at
home or in private, with 13 percent of responding it embarrassing (Smyth, 2015). 34 percent of
people fee that nursing a baby in public is inappropriate. Those against this practice make the
following arguments. Public nursing is indecent. For many people and business who oppose
nursing in public, the primary reason for their concern is decency. They feel that a womens
breast is a private part of her anatomy and that exposing it is in public, even to feed, is morally
wrong. Texas enacted comprehensive laws in 1995 that clarified that women have a right to
breastfeeding in public. Moreover, it also set up standards for employers to advertise themselves
as mother-friendly if they develop breastfeeding support policies, and set up a demonstration
project to determine the feasibility of breastfeeding support policies for all state employees
(USLegal INC, 2015)
Mothers have the right to breast feed their child any place, any time and the law can protect them
from anyone who thinks it is wrong. Breast milk is the most appropriate food for infants for at
least the first six months of life. Brest fed infants experience less illness and have enhanced
cognitive and neurological development compared to formula- fed infants. Armed with this
information and education, society can make an informed decision about how people see women
when they breastfeed in public.

Reference

Avalos,Y (2016, March,18) What do you think about breastfeeding in public Survey
http://www.surveymonkey.com
Jung, C (2015, October 6) Overselling Breastfeeding New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/opinion/sunday/overselling-breast-feeding.html?_r=0
Mahoney, J (2016) US Legal, INC Texas
http://breastfeedinglaws.uslegal.com/state-laws/texas-breast-feeding-laws/
UNT Students (2014) Creating Ads to Support Public
Breastfeedinghttp://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/05/15/unt-students-create-ads-to-support-publicbreastfeeding/