To think that it's a bit stupid to make breastfeeding compulsory?

[puntasticusername]

I mean, really, WTAF?

Breastfeeding made compulsory by UAE

Though I do have to grudgingly admire Lenore Skenazy for coming up with the phrase "sucking the choice out of parenting" to describe these sorts of initiatives.

[Booboostoo]

All women should give a shit at legislative attempts to control what happens to their bodies. Bf is a choice, one which I personally have made, but I would never dream on imposing it on other women.

If a particular religion or culture has a track record of oppressing women it's not surprising that it gets its fair share of criticism. This is not a recommendation, or a public policy campaign, this is a law which will make women legally liable for chosing not to bf!

[IndigoTea]

This is ridiculous and has nothing to do with Islam, in fact it goes contrary to Islamic teachings, so please give the Islam bashing a rest please.

It is clearly mentioned in the Quran that it is up to a woman is she wants to breastfeed or not. If she doesn't want to (she doesn't need a reason not to want to), then the spouse can't force her and must pay for a wet nurse. The Prophet and most of his companions were not breastfed by their own mothers, they were breastfed by wet nurses.

[KayHarker1]

Indigo, so, in modern parlance, a wet nurse could = formula?

[Sallyingforth]

This is shocking. If I was a Muslim I would be very angry at the men who were perverting my faith in order to apply yet more control over me.

[IndigoTea]

KayHarker, yes exactly!

[ISBN1966]

I suspect you'll find more women in the West angry about this issue, than are angry about women in the UAE being prosecuted for being raped.

Because women in the UK mostly don't breastfeed for more than a few weeks and seem to have developed en-masse a thoroughly entrenched neurosis/defensiveness about the whole issue.

[Ev1lEdna]

Well now isn't that yet another interesting way for men to control women in the United Arab Emirates? Just what the women there need, less choice over their lives and more control over them by men. Super.

[Ev1lEdna]

I suspect you'll find more women in the West angry about this issue, than are angry about women in the UAE being prosecuted for being raped.

Not more angry about this than that but more angry in general about the level of control that is exercised over women in ALL areas there. They really are less than second class citizens, every aspect of the control is a disgrace but none more so than being punished for being raped.

[squoosh]

'I suspect you'll find more women in the West angry about this issue, than are angry about women in the UAE being prosecuted for being raped.

Because women in the UK mostly don't breastfeed for more than a few weeks and seem to have developed en-masse a thoroughly entrenched neurosis/defensiveness about the whole issue.

With all due respect I think that's nonsense.

[sashh]

What if you can't breast feed?

What if you have HIV?

What if you take medication that can be passed on through breast milk?

[StarlightMcKingsThree]

Legislation and penalties for ensuring a woman's rights to breastfeed for two years, are protected with properly funded support and an economic system adapted to enable this to happen without discriminating against women for that, are IMO GOOD policies.

That would be the way to increase bfing rates ffs.

[cory]

What if the mother can breastfeed but the baby can't suckle? Can't see a wetnurse helping much with that.

"I suspect you'll find more women in the West angry about this issue, than are angry about women in the UAE being prosecuted for being raped.

Because women in the UK mostly don't breastfeed for more than a few weeks and seem to have developed en-masse a thoroughly entrenched neurosis/defensiveness about the whole issue."

Yes, I probably am. Having watched a child losing weight until her ribs stood out I can't imagine anything worse than having to go through with that process until she died because some stupid law said so. And for the record I breastfed my firstborn for nearly a year and my second child for 4 months until forced to stop for medical reasons.

[MojitoMadness]

Yay, another Muslim bashing, Arab bashing thread. For fucks sake who gives a shit?

Really Theodorous, really? How fucking short sighted can you be? If someone came on complaining about the IRA would you say they were Catholic bashing? Of course you wouldn't, FFS!

Oh and I think you'll find lots of people give a shit! I'm getting more and more appalled by the day by the reports of the sickening things that re happening to women in Asia, it's absolutely fucking outrageous and inhumane!

[WilsonFrickett]

ISBN bullhickey. I honestly couldn't give a shiny shit how other women chose to feed their babies.

But chose is the operative word here. I am really struggling to get my head round state-mandated BF.

I also manage to be equally furious about women being prosecuted for being raped, because I can hold more than one thought in my head at he same time.

[Sallyingforth]

And not forgetting places where a woman isn't allowed to drive.

[Theodorous]

Mojitomadness, why don't you go and do something about it? I have lived in many Asian countries and actually got off my boring little suburban arse and actually worked and lived among people who are affected by things Western mothers couldn't even imagine. I am off to Bangkok and Pattaya in 2 weeks for an annual charity trip. Still, Bashing a tiny little, insignificant but rich country is a great way to act like you are worldly and clever.

[grimbletart]

Still, Bashing a tiny little, insignificant but rich country is a great way to act like you are worldly and clever.

Personally I'd say it's more about women being angry at every new attempt to remove their bodily autonomy and the right to make their own decisions, wherever in the world it occurs.

[NotActuallyAMum]

I can't help wondering how on earth they're going to enforce this, will they have the Tit Police visiting every house with a baby?

[ISBN1966]

"ISBN bullhickey. I honestly couldn't give a shiny shit how other women chose to feed their babies"

Thanks for proving my point with your simultaneously aggressive and defensive post.

"I can't imagine anything worse than having to go through with that process until she died because some stupid law said so"

Working on the assumption that the citizens and legislators of this country are so stupid and zealous that they would rather see a baby die in front of them than a mother stop breastfeeding.

It's interesting how people on this thread will extrapolate in relation to this issue. It sort of goes - if you're unreasonable enough to try to compel women into breastfeeding using legislation, it goes without saying that you're also stoopid enough to insist on following this law to the letter even when it's clearly resulting in severe medical problems or even death in a mum or a baby.

I think this law is completely wrong. I don't think that those who are responsible for seeing it's adhered to will, on the whole, want to see babies dying or ending up in hospital as a result. Because you know, most people, even hard-line Muslims, don't hate babies.

"oh you all hate breastfeeding anyway" chip on shoulder"

Not a chip on shoulder. Women in the UK don't want to, and don't, breastfeed (90% of UK babies are fully formula fed by 12 months) on the whole, despite being subject to a lot of health information encouraging them to do so. And the fall-out from this situation is high levels of social angst about it - as evidenced by the regular outpourings of said angst on this board and others.

[hiddenhome]

What are they going to do about visitors then?

Misogynistic, paternalistic shite.

[squoosh]

I don't know anyone in real life who suffers angst over their or other people's feeding choices. Amongst my friends most BF, some FF, but it isn't something that warrants much discussion, I just don't think people are that interested. Maybe we're unusual.

[Theodorous]

My sister gave birth in Dorset last year. She had a serious psychosis and was waiting for a bed in a special unit. Because she couldnt bf and my mum refused to allow them to express against her will, mum had to take the baby outside to feed him, behind the bins where the smokers went because they wouldn't allow formula in the unit. The choice offered to us involved having to take legal action, discharge her and pay ten of thousands for private medical care that allowed her baby to be fed and her body to remain unviolated.
No amount of compensation will make up for what they did to her and believe me she was awarded a lot but only because we could afford to support and protect her.

[kali110]

You cant ff in dorset?

[Theodorous]

The hospital my sister was in would not allow it in the unit. It was also taken too far by the midwives in the unit (one was sacked)