In response to the a quote from a book:
Lupton, D, Risk, 1999 Submitted by Magda Sachs one can only think, "The
more things change the more they are the same."
        It referred to a New Zealand case in which a mother was angry about
another woman nursing her infant without her permission because she felt
that her intimate and dynamic relationship with her child had been
contaminated.  (Kind of reminds one of the fact that mother birds are
purported to abandon their infant chicks if the chicks have been touched by
a stranger in the nest)  It brings to full circle the spectrum of
rationals, of belief systems.  At the other end of the spectrum of course,
is the use of 'wet-nurses', so aptly (& also poorly) depicted in the recent
film "Cotton Mary" and of course quite common during slavery in the US.  In
both instances is the perpetuation of an underlying belief in our
separation from each other as human beings rather than the sense that we
are all a part of the larger whole.  Such a sense should improve on our
need to have more Love and give some respect and appreciation.
        It seems quite irrational for that mother to assume the other
mother would have put her infant in danger.  Her position totally reflects
the basic sense of alienation so common to societies.  At the same time
quite sad to say, the mother who nursed the hungry infant, having done the
reasonably natural thing, was erroneous to assume that that would be
acceptable.  Unfortunately, given the level of fear and estrangment we live
with, having done the reasonable decent thing, she inflamed the fires of
fear.

I still don't think that baby could have survived as depicted in 'Cotton
Mary'!  Other than that, it was a good film.
Ekua Sharp

             ***********************************************
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