When I said we didn't give mothers a choice about things like car seats and
immunizations, I was referring to the fact that most states in the USA have
laws requiring that children under 40 pounds be put in car seats (or you
face more than a fine -- you can be arrested, and your child placed with
child protective services; if you have an accident and your child is killed
because they weren't in a car seat, you can be charged with manslaughter and
sent to prison); we also have laws that your child must be immunized before
they can go to school -- situations are becoming more lenient IF you have
documented religious objections to immunizations, but when my daughter was
in high school she was denied access to campus for two days until she got a
tetanus booster(!).  Women in the USA have been arrested and put in jail for
using cocaine during pregnancy, charged with "delivery of an illegal drug to
a minor."  This is HARDLY the same level of "choice" that we give mothers
about infant feeding -- "So, Mrs. Robinson, were you planning to breastfeed
or bottle-feed?"  And just putting a check in the appropriate box on her chart.


Kathy Dettwyler