Letters to the Editor
Juliebird
Published Letters: 2091 Editor's Choice: 107
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here are some more thoughts:
[Read the article: What's that giant suckling sound?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Fortunately, you do not get decide what's "proper" for a nursing baby.
Nursing mother do not have to "endure" people telling them to go somewhere else to nurse.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures:
"Thirty-nine states have laws with language specifically allowing women to breastfeed in any public or private location (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Wyoming).
Twenty-one states exempt breastfeeding from public indecency laws (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin).
Thirteen states have laws related to breastfeeding in the workplace (California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington).
Twelve states exempt breastfeeding mothers from jury duty (California, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon and Virginia).
Four states have implemented or encouraged the development of a breastfeeding awareness education campaign (California, Illinois, Missouri, and Vermont).
Virginia allows women to breastfeed on any land or property owned by the state."
Not a single state has a law that specifically makes nursing in public a crime or misdemeanor.
According to
"The term 'nursing discreetly' refers to covering up the breast and especially nipple while breastfeeding in public."
Covering up the nipple is basically the baby's job: it's real hard to nurse without the nipple in the baby's mouth.
"Some women use a blanket to cover the whole situation including the baby. But it is worth considering which really is being more discreet and getting less attention: a blanket set-up might only point out in big letters that you are breastfeeding, whereas lifting your shirt quickly and just enough to let baby latch on is probably much more unnoticeable. And when people don't notice or pay mind to your nursing, you are being very discreet. (In fact, the older baby might plain refuse to nurse underneath a blanket or it might sometimes be dangerously hot to nurse with all covers on.)
"Also, for the laws' sake you do NOT need to cover yourself up totally with a blanket. There is nothing in the legislation stating that a nursing mother would need to only show x amount of bare skin/nipple. It naturally takes a little time to get baby to the breast, and is very common for older babies to sometimes let go of the nipple to see what's going on."
Neither of my babies would allow themselves to be covered by a towel or blanket. They would pull it off their heads, throw it on the floor, and wail. Hardly discreet.
However, I have nursed in public without a casual observer knowing a thing. Because even without a towel over muself and my baby, I could be discreet. I would never march myself up to your table in restaurant, pull off my shirt, pop out my boob and yell "I'm going to nurse! Watch and weep!" Were I in church and needed to nurse, I probably would go to the Mother's room, but not if getting there (climbing over people, dodging clllection baskets, marching down the long aisle with wailing baby and bulging diaper bag) would be more disturbing than discreetly latching the baby in situ.
It seems obvious to me that one woman's discretion is another man's flaunting. No matter how "discreet" a woman can be, there will be somebody "offended" by the idea of nursing a baby. It's wrong to make the nursing moms accomodate the most refined sensibilities. I guess, if you are so freaked out by seeing a woman latch a baby on her breast (a process that take nanoseconds for most moms after the first few weeks) stay away from any place where you might encounter a nursing mom.
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Just gross.
[Read the article: She raped herself]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]From the AP story:
"Hernandez said she felt pressured by the Air Force judicial process and intimidated by Basile’s defense attorney, an Air Force lawyer, who she said interviewed her without her victim’s advocate present."
That interview is explicitly counter to Air Force policy. The (3 accused airmen's) defense lawyer knew that. This taints the case more than anything. The policy is in place to prevent the occurence - or the appearance of - coersion, intimidation, witness tampering or harassment.
And the grant of immunity stinks. What reasonable person would assume this is a fair trial?