Jan, you wrote about the 17 year old father getting visitation every other
weekend for 48 hours, and getting a call looking for a pro-bf attorney, but
you didn't say what you did!  Did you pass on Elizabeth Baldwin's name and
number, or any references to previous court cases where the judge ruled that
the baby's right to breastfeed superceded the father's right to custody?
Will the father give the baby his mother's milk if she pumps (I know this
isn't a good option, but it may be better than formula at least).  Sigh.
Probably one weekend with the baby and the father will decide he's too busy
to do it again.

Last week I faxed a bunch of stuff about the benefits of breastfeeding
beyond a year to a woman in Australia who is battling her husband (soon to
be ex-) about extended visitation rights with a one year old.  He wants to
"give the baby to his mother" according to the wife.  They went to court
yesterday, but I haven't heard the outcome.  Apparently NMAA can't get
involved in legal cases.

Since you brought up the case of baby Richard, and others like him, I have
to spout off about one thing -- in every case that I remember hearing about,
the adoptive parents knew within a few weeks or months that the birth
parents wanted the baby back.  Why didn't they just give the kid back
then???  Seems like if they REALLY cared about the kid, they would have done
that.  Don't mean to start something right before I sign off to go to
Chicago . . .

Kathy D.
Katherine A. Dettwyler, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University
President, James McKenna Fan Club