The story disappoints the Platypus staff for a couple of
reasons. First, we’d like to think of
libraries---those bastions of study and shelves stocked with books on all
manner of uncensored subjects---showing an open mind about such things. Second, we thought the considerable efforts
of groups like the La Leche League had helped educate the public by now about
the superior benefits in infant health that breastfeeding provides to infants:
Tops for nutrition and increasing
immunity by passing on valuable antibodies from mom to tot.
But what does that matter when someone witnesses a bit of naked mammary? Won’t someone think of the children???
(Actually we thought we were thinking
of the children… but, oh well.)
As long as breastfeeding gets a mom kicked out of the
library, or a picture of this bonding experience gets a mom kicked off
Facebook, the age of nude beaches probably remains light years away. There are,
however, rays of hope.
In Florida, for example, a security guard once told a young
mother she couldn’t breastfeed in public. She happened to be then-governor
Lawton Chiles’ daughter and the infant, naturally, his grandchild. Very soon Governor Chiles helped usher in a
law making breastfeeding permissible in any
location where a mother is otherwise lawfully allowed to be. (Actually this may not fix the problem. Re-reading the news accounts of “library mom,”
it appears Minnesota also has such a law on the books. Not much help when the uniformed but un-informed guys with the
billy clubs show up.)
Here’s hoping more states follow suit and more people get a clue. In the meantime, follow this link to see touching photography that celebrates the innocence in these
feedings. If you’re like The Platypus,
you probably never even notice the breasts in these pics.
But those babies’ eyes? Captivating!
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