Suzanne Bowes' case of the incarcerated mother who was not enabled to pump
or send milk to her child is pretty horrifying.

While there may be good reasons to lock mothers of breastfed children up, I
don't think the US judicial system stipulates that the child is to be
penalized as some kind of auxiliary punishment to the mother.  The mother is
the one who has been convicted of a crime; the child is innocent, and taking
away the child's food can be seen as a profound violation of the child's
human rights.

When this child becomes conscious of the world around her/him, what will
her/his perception of justice be?  How does depriving the child of
breastmilk, in addition to losing contact with mother, serve to increase the
respect that child will have for the legal system when she/he comes of age?

I ask these questions rhetorically.  If any of you are in a position to
negotiate with correctional facilities, it may be an angle to take.  It's
probably not the baby's fault that mother committed a crime.

I believe the US has yet to ratify the UN's declaration of the rights of the
child, along with Somalia, if my memory is right.  Sigh.

Rachel Myr
US ex-pat in Kristiansand, Norway

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