Jill Duff – 5/13/07

This page was last updated on May 13, 2007.

Breast feeding [sic] is natural; Jill Duff; Beaver County Times; May 13, 2007.

The purpose of this critique is not to come down on this issue one way or another. The main point is to address the second paragraph. That said, I also take the opportunity to poke holes in Ms. Duff’s logic.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“In response to Thursday’s letter to the editor ‘Keep breast feeding private,’ breast feeding in public should be one’s constitutional right as is bottle feeding.”

[RWC] I just checked my copy of the Constitution, and it says nothing about either bottle-feeding or breast-feeding being rights.

“I am a mother of two children and chose to breast feed because we were unable to qualify for assistance and couldn’t afford formula. Why should women who need to breast feed for financial or any other reason be ridiculed?”

[RWC] Whether or not you choose to breast-feed your child, you shouldn’t have the child in the first place if you can’t even afford to pay for formula. If you can’t afford to pay for formula for those occasions when breast-feeding may be inconvenient or when you aren’t there, what other obligations can’t you meet?

“When I was forced by a hungry, crying baby to breast feed in public for lack of a private place to go, I felt uncomfortable due to a few close-minded people who noticed and shot me a disgusted look.”

[RWC] So, it’s OK for other people to feel uncomfortable (right or wrong), but not for Ms. Duff.

“I will not be made to feed my child in a restroom. To think that one who breast feeds [sic] in public is an exhibitionist is completely ridiculous to me.

“Any type of feeding of a child is a time for bonding, and just because one chooses to breast feed they should not be subjected to special rules and regulations because some people are uncomfortable with half of an exposed breast.

“It’s insane to think that in today’s society a mother who works and juggles many responsibilities has to go out of her way to find time and a private place because some people are too ignorant to look the other way and uncomfortable with this completely natural process.”

[RWC] Ms. Duff implies she is “a mother who works” outside the home. If true, how is her baby fed when Ms. Duff is at work? Above Ms. Duff said she can’t afford formula, and below she implies she can’t/doesn’t use a breast pump to bottle breast milk.

“Breast pumps made to bottle breast milk are not a solution to the lack of understanding in today’s world. Also, not all women’s anatomies allow breast pumps to efficiently pump enough milk to provide an adequate bottle for an entire feeding.

“The writer has the right to look the other way and the right to have an opinion. She doesn’t have the right to decide when, where, why and how I should nourish my child.”

[RWC] Whom did Mr. Scibilia not mention? No mention is made of a parent’s obligation to provide for his/her children, and this includes healthcare. It is not your neighbor’s responsibility to pay for your kids’ healthcare and it’s not fair to require him to. After all, he has to care for his own family. If you can’t afford to take care of your kids without taxpayer assistance, you should not have children until you can.

Government should get out of the healthcare business completely. The money this would put back into taxpayer pockets could be used by private charities to help people who really need help. We need to get away from the mentality that taxpayers are there to bail us out of poor life choices.