Legislature approves breast-feeding rights

[uppityperson]

Source: The Olympian

Washington moms could gain a civil right to breast-feed in public under a bill approved by the state Legislature.

The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday for the bill, which would protect women from discrimination when they nurse in public places such as movie theaters, parks, shopping malls and schools. House Bill 1596 now heads to Gov. Chris Gregoire for final approval.

Some 40 other states have laws protecting a mother's right to breast-feed in public. And mothers in Washington are already protected from criminal indecency charges if they're nursing.

Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/legislature/story/813230.html

[Ian David]

1. Give your boobies their FREEDOM! n/t

[cliffordu]

2. I don't know why I think it 's funny that a body of mostly men can approve

the use of breasts to fulfill the act for which they evolved......

Maybe most of them didn't know that's what they were for...

[mike_c]

5. exactly-- the ludicrousness of this is overwhelming....

Next thing you know, we'll need legislation authorizing use of the uterus for embryogenesis. But only with an appropriate license, of course.

[uppityperson]

8. "in public" is the problem. I mean, think of the children!

They might grow up understanding what breasts are for!

[Renew Deal]

11. Don't these men know that breast feeding is only "marginally" better than formula?

This is outrageous! }(

[damntexdem]

19. When I was in Latin America decades ago, I saw a copy of Playboy on open display in a store.

The cover had a picture of a woman's large breasts, and some official had had stamped across the picture of the breasts "no apta para menores" -- not appropriate for minors. I thought immediately: they're no longer considered appropriate for babies by some official. I'm sure that the official was a man.

[defendandprotect]

31. Makes you rethink American males' obsession with female breasts . . .

[paulsby]

23. not true. misunderstanding of evolution

mammary glands evolved to produce milk

the non-functional (physically non-functional) mostly adipose mass that makes up most of the female human breast, otoh, evolved primarily as a visual cue. it simulates the cleft between the buttocks for a creature (us) that evolved from 4 legged to standing upright. the visual analog is striking

that's why other mammals don't have all that excess breast tissue, like we do.

the mammary glands actually are a relatively small part of the human female breast, and the vast majority (depending on breast size even more vast :) ) of the tissue is there as a visual cue NOT for feeding babies.

which i am 100% in support of of course

[cliffordu]

26. I stated the act (a verb) for which they evolved....

your (or my own) visual, tactile or fetishist enjoyment, while pleasant and stimulating, are secondary, and quite ignored in many societies.

[paulsby]

27. biology does not lie. you are mistaken

the BREAST is a part of the body that encompasses far more than the mammary gland.

feel free to check the physiology. i have seen it firsthand during autopsy as well as in biology classes.

the VAST majority of breast tissue is NOT mammary gland and has no functional relationship to producing milk.

it has to do with visual stimulus, regardless of which societies emphasize or de-emphasize breasts (i'm a butt man myself but i digress) that is the logical conclusion for its evolution because it is NOT functionally related to milk production, and is essentially useless body mass from a physiological standpoint.

but very useful from a "cue" standpoint.

people (who don't understand the biology) conflate "breast" with mammary gland.

but again, the former is a part of our biology that encompasses far more tissue than merely the mammary gland

and serves several purposes.

[cliffordu]

43. Ya know what?? I don't really care. This is absurd. I'll be wrong and you win!

[paulsby]

48. it's like arguing science with a creationist

you clearly WANT to believe something that is anti-science, and i have been in such disagreements before.

metric assloads of evidence will never overcome an anti-scientific bias.

you want to believe that the breast is a milk production/distribution device, when in fact it is NOT solely evolved for that function.

the vast majority of the tissue has NOTHING to do with milk production, and is a visual analog to the buttocks cleft, naturally become more important when we became bipedal.

[defendandprotect]

32. I know those are the facts . . ..

but, you know something still seems to be wrong with them . . . somehow???

A 4-legged female had the same view the 4-legged male had from the rear . . .

yet males have usually no excess breast tissue.

Orangutangs are mainly upright . . . they have none.

hmmm.....

[uppityperson]

41. Ever read Elaine Morgan's "The Descent of Woman" ?

It is about evolution happening due to women changing, vs men. Talks about reasons for human female's breast, buttocks development from a viewpoint not to be sexually attractive to men, but to be able to survive and raise more infants to childhood.

It is an interesting book

[defendandprotect]

44. hmmmm.... No I haven't . . . .

I'll try to catch up with it -- thank you!

[defendandprotect]

45. And . . .

I was reading some reviews of the book at Amazon -- and I'll look for it at my library --
however, I thought this was an interesting comment by someone who wrote one of the many
reviews . . .

Morgan clinched my appreciation of her when she discussed why human females tend to be decidedly less interested in sex than males. She is the only evolutionary theorist I've come across who even acknowledges that as a common fact, much less tries to put it in some plausible context.

Actually, I think females are far more interested in love making than males --
and that seems to be being proven by the information that females enjoy love making
more and get greater pleasure from it than males. However, I do think that the form
that "sex" has taken as patriarchy developed probably has put a crimp in it for females -
I mean consider the thousand of years in the "Missionary position" --- !!!

Patriarchal sex comes down to a "keyhole sexuality" -- which for patriarchy's benefit is primarily
about procreation.

And, then again, as females would have lost interest in this kind of "sex" their advances toward
males would have lessened. And, I think there has been a long period of time when female
advances to sexuality would have been looked at askance!

Most of the reviews were very interesting -- few who didn't find it interesting at all.
We've had a too long period of history as "white male propaganda" . . . . and I note this
was written in '72 so she was a timely challenger!


:)

[Seeking Serenity]

49. You are correct.

There is a reason why only an adult female human maintains full breasts, even when not lactating. The breasts of an adult female chimpanzee or bonobo or any other primate (indeed, any other mammal) are only full when needed to feed young.

That reason is the visual (read: sexual) cue.

[Soylent Brice]

3. good. i never understood the social faux pas about nipples anyways.

more power to them.

[defendandprotect]

34. Well, otoh, while we could see the male nipple on display .......

it wasn't until recently that their sexual sensitivity came into "play" . . .



;)

[Soylent Brice]

46. indeed! lol

[tomm2thumbs]

4. f i n a l l y - for criminy sakes - what took Washington St so long - they have computers!

[pattmarty]

6. I am going to be sorry for this, but why in the fuck......................

............can't legislators maybe try to do something about the a "shootings & lootings" that are going on in the country? Stories like this are an ongoing problem with "liberals" that make us look really stupid sometimes kinda like conservatives. I AM NOT SAYING HERE that women do not have the right to nurse their children w/o fear of being arrested, but jesusfuckingchrist, aren't there at this time just a few more important things on the fucking plate?????

[Renew Deal]

7. Do you beat your wife?

:evilgrin:

[pattmarty]

10. Yes, with relish. Why do you ask????

[SnowCritter]

18. Isn't that kind of messy?

Do you get your relish in bulk or just buy lots of little jars?

[uppityperson]

9. Because we here in WA are only concerned about trivial matters, thank you very much

:sarcasm:

[kestrel91316]

14. Yeah, because we can only care about one fucking issue at a time.....

[county worker]

15. Yes but this has to be done also.

[paulsby]

24. as a cop in WA state

this is feel good legislation fwiw.

and kind of redundant. i am not AGAISNT it, but the way the law is written NOW already allows women to breast feed in public w/o fear of arrest, and i've never heard of a woman being arrested etc. for it.

iow, it's a gesture, but it's not going to change anything

[defendandprotect]

30. Breast feeding is probably more important than you realize . . . ???

COLOSTRUM REVOLUTION . . .. may stop "shootings & lootings" . . . !!!

:woohoo:

[Deja Q]

12. With all the real problems our country and world faces and they waste time on this?

I want a piece of the teat too; where do I sign up? :9

[defendandprotect]

29. Breast feeding is "a waste of time" . . . ???

Get yours working . . . !!!

[kestrel91316]

13. SAD that we even need such a law...........

[peace13]

16. Well this is mighty big of them!

Law or no law, a good mother will feed her baby when and where it is hungry. What is wrong with these crazy *ucks!

[damntexdem]

20. But it's presumably better if she's not ticketed or even arrested.

The latter can be hard on the baby, too.

[paulsby]

25. please cite

one example of a woman being cited or arrested in WA state for breast feeding.

i am not against this law, but it's largely redundant as the law already specfically allows women to breast feed in public, but that authorization so to speak is written as an exception to the indecency law vs a law in itself.

[defendandprotect]

17. A win for Mother Nature . . . !!!

[Deja Q]

22. Up next: Peeing on the curb in broad daylight and having 7-person orgies on the express lane...

Talk about a pile-up...

[defendandprotect]

28. I think you're a bit confused . . . but SPITTING is something that should be stopped . . .!!!

filthy, disease spreading habit ---

let's start with baseball players!!!

[progressoid]

21. That article didn't even mention The Olive Garden.

Typical shoddy journalism.

[KamaAina]

35. Or smoking.

:hide:

[Hardrada]

36. Or chicken baked with, what was it, cornflakes?

[KamaAina]

37. Shhhhhhhhhh!

:scared:

[uppityperson]

42. or kids in shopping carts

[Nikia]

33. As a breast feeding mother I supprt all laws that make breast feeding easier

It allows women who choose to breast feed less isolated and allows her to take her baby places.
I don't think that the law is redundant. It isn't enough to say that you won't be arrested for breast feeding. It is my understanding that this legislation would allow women to breast feed without worrying about being kicked out or told by an employee that they are wrong in feeding their baby.

[Giant Robot]

38. So they made it mandatory in public?

What?

[noamnety]

39. Yes, and next thing you know

they will have to breastfeed turtles.

[QC]

40. Will breast feeding now be permitted in Olive Garden? n/t

[Vidar]

47. Good for them, though it's ridiculous that this has to be done.

I wonder if sunrise will be legal in the future?

[JeanGrey]

50. It is really amazing we have to have a LAW for women to do

what god gave them bodies for. Good grief but if that is what it takes!