Always campaigning politicians are on the prowl for issues that may stir up the voting public. Recently, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann told a radio talk show host that Michelle Obama’s efforts to promote breastfeeding and the IRS’s announcement that nursing supplies that aide in the practice can be deducted from tax returns amounts to a “new definition [of] the nanny state.”
Sarah Palin also jumped on the bandwagon of challenging the First Lady's breastfeeding initiative with this comment at an appearance before business professionals in Long Island: "No wonder Michelle Obama's telling everybody, 'you'd better breastfeed your baby.' Yeah, you'd better, because the price of milk is so high right now!"
Choosing to breastfeed or bottlefeed your baby is a very personal decision for every mother. When family and parenting issues start to be used as political cannonballs, parents should be concerned about the possible negative impact of these political jibes on people's understanding of the importance of these critical parenting decisions.
Here are some discussion questions to get us started:
- Who should stand up for breastfeeding rights in the workplace and public areas? Legislators? Unions? Lobbyists? Parenting groups?
- Is the choice to breastfeed or bottlefeed too personal of a topic for public debate in Congress and the media?
- Do moms want political jockeying regarding Michelle Obama's breastfeeding initiative to take away from politicians focusing on the whole spectrum of children's issues needing individualized attention, informed discussion, and targeted funding?
A special thanks to our Moms Council: Patrice Athanasidy, Laura Belfiore, Carolyn DePaolo, Laurie Gershgorn and Kelly Galimi.
As far as Mrs. Obama’s speech goes, kudos to her for wanting to make it easier for women to breastfeed. The fact that she has become a target because of her words reminds me what a vicious playing field the world of politics is, and that no comment or suggestion comes without criticism. (Speaking of criticism, I understand Palin wanted to get that “high cost of milk” comment in, but infants can’t drink cow’s milk till about one year of age, before that (if not breastfed) they drink formula, which is astronomically expensive in comparison to a gallon of milk…so I’m just going to stand back and wave my “Relevancy?” flag at Palin on this one). As a result of the first lady’s speech it is now being questioned whether or not it is fair to offer the proposed tax credit to working mothers who purchase breast pumps, with critics claiming it would be unfair to mothers who stay home and feed. To this my response is why you wouldn’t want to help a working mother or any mother in that case, since non-working mothers use breast pumps as well. These machines cost between $80 -$300 for the most popular models! (continued below...)
This is a significant purchase for someone who just had a baby to have to make. The government gives tax incentives for buying environmentally friendly washers and driers, regardless of the fact that not everyone has a hook-up for these appliances. (I’m sure there are a million better analogies, but for time’s sake)… So the “exclusion” excuse really isn’t floating for me on this one. Is breastfeeding providing a common good to society by preventing the obesity epidemic? Entirely by itself- I say no. Like many other things this is influenced by a combination of factors, starting with the eating habits of the parents. Does breastfeeding have health benefits? In my opinion, yes. It’s unable to be argued that the mother’s antibodies are transferred to the child through breastfeeding, which increases a child’s immunities. Will it make a baby smarter? I’m skeptical on that one as well. Studies say yes, but I think intelligence is gauged largely by genetics and environment, and I feel it’s impossible to determine this by “fact” accurately by judging solely on whether or not an individual was breastfed.
Breastfeeding isn’t for everyone. My mother passed on the act (and I think I turned out just fine : ), as did many others in her generation. I myself, am currently breastfeeding my 11.5 month old daughter and think it’s great. I’d recommend it to any mother. One thing I would like to see as a breastfeeding mother, is more “Mother’s rooms” in stores. The issue for me isn’t a shyness one, rather a respect for others who might be made uncomfortable by my actions. Toy’s R Us and Babies R Us have these rooms and they are great. It’s a separate room detached from the restrooms, for mothers to change and feed their children. It’s an excellent idea, and considering what a large portion of shoppers are mothers to small children, I’m surprised more establishments haven’t followed TRU & BRU’s example. ...
One of my first experiences as a new mother was regarding this issue. My family went to a NYC museum to see an exhibit I wanted to catch before it moved on. My daughter was only a month old at the time. Still learning the ropes of motherhood, I checked to make sure the museum had a place to feed the baby, since I wouldn’t have access to my car (my own private feeding room when out and about). The website assured me this accommodation was available. When the time came to feed I was directed to a 5th floor handicap bathroom. No seats, no changing table, just a toilet and a sink. Hungry baby in hand I went back into the gallery and served lunch there. (Seriously, would you want to eat in a bathroom? Exactly. And babies shouldn’t have to.) In conclusion, I feel if there was adequate, appropriate political representation on this topic more places would acknowledge and sympathize with the needs of mothers, and luxuries like comfortable feeding areas and tax credits would be the norm, not the exception. The topic of breastfeeding NEEDS “individualized attention” so that these matters can be addressed appropriately.
Thanks so much for sharing your views and experience with us! I remember how difficult it was to find a nice, quiet place to breastfeed my babies. When I had my first son back in 1997, I would go to the Westchester Mall (the fancy one in White Plains) in order to use Nordstrom's mother's room for privacy. There really needs to be more special areas set up for breastfeeding moms who need to feed their infants on the go. Laura, I also agree that breastfeeding rights should definitely become an issue that gets addressed seriously. It's alarming to think that politicians would belittle the needs of breastfeeding moms just to get a political jab in against another politician. As Patrice stated in the first comment, mothers all have to unite and work towards getting all parenting and child welfare issues the attention that they deserve.