Breastfeeding in Public

Paper Summary:

This paper states that breastfeeding in public is legal in the United States. The author points out that, despite this legality, for some people, the sight of a mother breastfeeding in public is a cause of discomfort. The paper relates that public health officials and even the laws agree that mothers should have the right to breastfeed in public; however, the debate against public breastfeeding brings to mind the issues surrounding pornography and art that, if it aims to titillate, it is classified as porn. The author summarizes the many benefits of breastfeeding for the child and mother and concludes that not breastfeeding on demand in public can deprive both mother and infant of these benefits.

Outline:
Introduction
The Law: a Rundown of Statutes from all 50 States about Breastfeeding in Public
It's One's Right: Benefits of Breastfeeding
It's One's Right: The Impediments of Breastfeeding in Public, Specifically at Work
It's One's Right: Explicit Reasons Why Breastfeeding in Public is Okay
Alternatives to Breastfeeding in Public

From the Paper:

"In 2005, a different kind of protest spread from the Internet, to the streets, and outside the ABC headquarters. The culprit was Barbara Walters' comment on "The View" that the sight of a woman breast-feeding her child beside her on a plane made her uncomfortable. Outside the ABC headquarters, which airs "The View", some women were breastfeeding their babies in full view of everyone. Some held up placards and signs that denounced both Walters and her program. Amy Harmon writes that this was probably the first overt manifestation of a movement called "lactivism" or women who wants their right to breastfeed in public recognized."

Sample of Sources Used:

• 50 State Summary of Breastfeeding Laws. National Conference of State Legislatures. Last updated February 2008. Retrieved on 9 April 2008. <http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/breast50.htm>
• Disregard the Disapproval: Nursing in Public - Why & How? 2005. NurseHereNow.Com. Retrieved on 9 April 2008. <http://www.nurseherenow.com/wst_page5.html>
• Harmon, Amy. 2005. 'Lactivists' Taking Their Cause, and Their Babies, to the Streets. New York Times. Retrieved on 9 April 2008. <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/nyregion/07nurse.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>
• Pugliese, Anne. 2000. New Beginnings Vol. 17 No. 6. Retrieved on 9 April 2008. <http://www.llli.org/NB/NBNovDec00p196.html>
• Rabin, Roni. 2006. Breast-Feed or Else. New York Times. Retrieved on 9 April 2008. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/health/13brea.html>

More papers on Breastfeeding in Public:

• Descriptive Essay # 113578 : "Hospital Breastfeeding Promotion Program"
• Essay # 36862 : "Children In Public Places"
• Essay # 90737 : "Women's Rights"

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