> It is very difficult (and maybe unrealistic) in
>the US to claim breastfeeding is an issue at the age of 2.

I must differ.  There are many people in the US who nurse beyond two years
of age, and many who nurse beyond 3.  I have close to 1500 US children in
my survey sample who nursed beyond three, and I'm sure I have only a
fraction of the people out there nursing beyond 3.  The law in Idaho says
mothers are exempt as long as they are breastfeeding.  This woman is still
breastfeeding, therefore she should be exempt, not held in contempt.  The
legal issues are very clear.  The judge is wrong.

I do think it says a lot about our culture that this woman has NO ONE who
can watch her children for her should the need arise.  While I think she
should be excused from jury duty, nursing or not, simply because she has
young children to care for (an "excuse" that works in most states in the
US, including Texas), there is a bigger issue here.

What if she was in a car accident and had to be in the hospital?  What if
she were to have a heart attack, or fall and break her leg and have to go
to the hospital?  What if one of her kids were to be very sick or injured
and need to be in the hospital and they wouldn't let her have the other kid
with her in the ER?  Would her kids have to go to foster care until the
father could come home???!!!  We live in such a bizarre society in the US
where some people don't have FRIENDS who can help them.  I consider it
somewhat *irresponsible of her* not to have developed backup systems of
childcare for emergencies.

Kathy Dettwyler
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email:
[log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352
http://www.prairienet.org/laleche/dettwyler.html

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