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Mother who breastfeeds boy, 6, faces custody fight

By Sue Ellen Christian <BR>and Julie Deardorff

In an exceptional case, Illinois child protection authorities have
taken a 6-year-old boy from the custody of a Champaign mother because
she was still breastfeeding him, allegedly against his wishes.

In the view of the mother fighting for the return of her only child,
the battle pits American norms about parenting against her right to
raise her son as she sees fit&#151;a style that includes allowing the
boy to choose when he quits nursing.

To state child welfare officials, the case is about abuse.

Authorities at the Department of Children and Family Services took the
boy from the 32-year-old woman's home after a baby-sitter called an
abuse hot line and the child subsequently told investigators that he
no longer wanted to breastfeed, they said. The mother says she told
investigators her son never indicated he didn't want to nurse and that
she would continue to breastfeed as long as her son wished.

The agency has determined that the child's living situation
constitutes sexual molestation and risk of harm.

"Breastfeeding a child is not the issue," says Deborah Kennedy, DCFS
regional administrator in the central region. "It's after he has
stated that it is unwanted and she had that information and didn't
indicate she would halt that activity ... then you have unwanted
behavior on his part and that constitutes abuse."

She added: "In general, any contact between a sexual organ against the
will of the child constitutes abuse ... because it's breastfeeding,
it's a sensitive issue."

On Monday, final arguments are scheduled in the family court case in
Champaign County, which alleges emotional harm to the boy. The case is
to determine whether the boy was neglected or abused and whether he
should return home to his mother.

The mother says the misguided case is based on society's narrow ideas
about what constitutes good parenting.

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