My letter to the author of the article regarding the Chandler City
Attorney's position on breastfeeding in public business establishments:

From: Lee Galasso [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 5:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Breastfeeding in Public

Chris,

As a Lactation Specialist, I found your recent article, "Breastfeeding Panel
to Provide Options," very interesting.  To date, about 35 states have
legislation protecting the right of women to breastfeed their babies in
public.  In other countries around the world, the people laugh when they
hear that; they wonder why feeding a baby causes the need for legislation to
be passed; they know that babies need to eat and doing that in public is
just as normal as any child or adult eating in public.  Well-informed
citizens know that business establishments do not have a constitutional
right to stop anyone from eating, including a baby.  

Is City Attorney Michael House serious that he wants to stop babies from
eating when they are hungry?  If he thinks that business owners have the
right to send babies to the toilet to eat, then he cannot discriminate on
the basis of age.  He needs to say that all babies, toddlers, older
children, teenagers, young adults, older adults, and senior citizens need to
eat in the toilet - no discrimination allowed against any age group - a
ridiculous scenario, which I have conjured up to make a point, but many are
serious about wanting babies to eat in such an unsanitary environment.  I
doubt that many people would frequent eating establishments if the people
had to be served in the toilet, and that would affect profits.  Eventually,
eating facilities would have to shut down because NO ONE would be eating in
public.  I seriously doubt that business owners would want that.

What is the real problem here?  Some people are uncomfortable when they see
breastfeeding.  What do they object to?  The little bit of flesh that shows
above the baby's face is not as much as you see in malls during the
summertime; you know those skimpy tops that some females wear.  Do people
ask the security guards to tell those females to go home and change; that
they cannot walk around the mall like that?  Do lifeguards ask women at a
pool to cover up when they are in skimpy bikinis that show a very large
portion of their breasts and/or their buttocks?  What about all the flesh
shown on TV and in the movies?  I don't hear outcries about that. Therefore,
it cannot be a little flesh that is the problem if babies are hungry and
their mothers need to feed them in public.

Again I ask, what IS the problem if it is not a little bit of flesh showing?
Is it the idea of babies suckling on a breast?  Oh my, of course; THAT'S IT!
Breasts were meant to promote sales of cars, beer, life insurance, movie
tickets, TV shows, etc., but not to feed babies.  That was their original
purpose, to feed babies, but not anymore; that was before corporations
devised substitutes:  artificial non-human milks (aka formula).  The
artificial non-human milk is now preferred to real food for babies and it
can be fed in an unobjectionable container such as a bottle, especially if
we are not acknowledging the negative impact of the bottle nipple on the
development of teeth, speech, and the  correct way of swallowing fluids and
solids.  Those problems do not matter as long as bottle feeding makes a lot
of adults feel more comfortable.  It also does not matter if artificial
non-human milk increases the risks of morbidity and mortality for children;
at least the public doesn't have to see a baby feed the normal way or the
healthy way.

"Babies are born to be breastfed"; that is the slogan created for the
National Breastfeeding Ad Campaign in the USA; a campaign that has been
going on for the past few years.  However, the money-hungry formula industry
was able to manipulate and alter that campaign so that it could not tell the
public the whole truth.  Also, the artificial non-human milk industry has so
influenced the American Academy of Pediatrics with bribes that the AAP
strong-armed the Department of Health and Human Services to water down the
messages in the above-mentioned breastfeeding-promotion campaign.  The
majority of the people in the USA no longer understand why breastfeeding is
normal and necessary.  Even many of our healthcare providers prefer to
ignore the research-based evidence that artificial non-human milk kills
thousands of USA babies and makes millions of USA babies ill.  They prefer
to cater to the whims of adults rather than the needs of children; and let
us not forget their allegiance to THE ALMIGHTY BUCK.

It would be very much appreciated, Chris, if you would look into these
issues that I have raised and inform the public of the truth.  You may want
to contact the doctors in the AAP Section on Breastfeeding, the Academy of
Breastfeeding Medicine, La Leche League International, and the US Committee
on Breastfeeding for accurate information regarding the hazards of not
breastfeeding exclusively.  Health organizations recommend exclusive
breastfeeding for at least the first six months of life and, after
introducing complementary solids, continuing for two years or more.

Thank you for all that you are willing to do to help all children be able to
breastfeed whenever necessary, even in public; your help is sorely needed.
Babies should not be hurt because of the prejudices in our society and
because of THE ALMIGHTY BUCK.  My concern is not only for the civil rights
of mothers to breastfeed in public, but mostly for the civil rights of
children to breastfeed when they are hungry. You have my permission to pass
this message on to the Chandler Breastfeeding Task Force and any other
entity that would find it helpful.

Sincerely,

Lee Galasso, MS, IBCLC, RLC

Lactation Specialist

Westchester County in NY State

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