http://www.rue89.com/2009/03/06/is-breastfeeding-feminist-or-not In a report made public last Tuesday, the Academy of Medicine recommended breastfeeding and longer postnatal maternity leave. I was wondering what feminists thought of this. Are they furious about more pressure on women? Not really. They are, in fact, quite divided over the issue. My first reaction was to telephone Héloise, my feminist friend, who has been an active member of Tumultueuses (a French feminist forum) for a short while. At the other end of the line, she is annoyed about the temptation to confuse women with 'milking cows'. She is not at all against breastfeeding, but denounces a “current pro-breastfeeding climate”: “What irritates me the most is that society doesn't realize that it is long, that it is our bodies and that we have the right to do what we want with them. The reality is that breastfeeding takes five hours a day and that it hurts. So it really needs to be a choice.” In 2006, Libération published an article that surprised me (“Ce sacro-sein allaitement”). Brought up to the the tune of “breastfeeding is brilliant and good for the baby's health”, I was surprised to discover women who were complaining about the way society views them. “It sees to me that if you want to breastfeed, it's a fight. You have to justify yourself, accept being seen as an 'animal', have the strength to go to work with your express machine or stay at home for many months and be frowned upon by the company you work for.” --- Slightly more on link. Morgan Gallagher *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome