Kathy D wrote,

"Culture is changeable.  I think that in order to improve the health of
children and their mothers through breastfeeding, we must change our
culture's view of breasts.  And the first step of doing so is to recognize
that this is indeed cultural, and therefore changeable."

Brilliantly put, Kathy.  Thank you. I live in a place where you see women
hauling out a breast from the neck of the dress/blouse and breastfeeding on
any street corner, and no-one gives them a second glance.

Your words about breasts and culture were very useful.  I have been giving
some thought lately to the issue of infant feeding choice, from a human
rights perspective, ie whether the mother has the *right* to not breastfeed
her infant, if she doesn't want to.  I'm especially interested in the
possibility that "the right to choose", which always means "to bottle-feed"
when you read the fine print,  could be (1) a fairly recent *cultural*
phenomenon, and could even be viewed as a western "harmful traditional
practice" practised by a minority of the world's mothers as a direct
consequence of the west's cultural view of breasts, and the availability and
social acceptability of formula and (2) only made possible by access to
sufficient medical care to combat increased infections and allergy as a
result of such a "choice", so that it might really be a "privilege" rather
than a "right".

Of course, it could be the other way around - that the western cultural
sexualization of breasts has only evolved since breasts became superfluous
for their biological function of feeding babies with the invention and
aggressive marketing of formula.  Anyway, I am beginning to wonder if the
"right" of the mother about infant feeding choices, although so hotly
defended that it has become enshrined in written human rights law (written
by western experts) and subtly promoted by industry, is not so much a human
right as a recent cultural peculiarity.

Thoughts, anyone??

Pamela, Zimbabwe
mailto:[log in to unmask]

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html