Comments on: The Mommy Wars and Breast Milk

By: Maryland Conservatarian

Maryland Conservatarian — Mon, 21 May 2007 20:29:44 +0000

“What does all of this have to do with law? We first have to ask whether states should regulate a market in human breast milk, or more specifically, who can be a wet nurse?”

What about a woman’s right to choose?

and

“I must admit that I am particularly uncomfortable with the potential exploitation of poor women who have few options.”

so you would consider reducing those few options by one?

I know this posting was more questions than policy advocacy but let’s face it – the only market for this “service” is of other women…and I’m not comfortable working up concern for an issue that won’t primarily demonize conservative straight white males.

By: Nate Oman

Nate Oman — Mon, 21 May 2007 02:57:32 +0000

I would not that it is harldy the Mommy Wars alone that get skewed by the social networks of mainstream media reporters…

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 20 May 2007 20:12:25 +0000

Here’s a query/worry to add to Angel’s. On the one hand, a thriving market in breast milk may seem to enhance the freedom of working moms to perform demanding jobs without having to take time out to breastfeed. On the other hand, once that option is available, pressure may build to take advantage of it. I.e., it may seem less acceptable to give “wanting to breastfeed” as a rationale for wanting to have a maternity leave.

Of course, concerns like this apply just as much to, say, pumps as to outsourcing (see, e.g.,

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-feeding/PR00002

Christine raises an interesting question re the class dynamics here; perhaps it’s more a matter of helping the middle class than elite moms. My law firm in DC had day care in the basement of the building and I would hope other top-tier employers consider this type of innovation important to retention. As E.J. Graff has noted, the class dynamics of the “mommy wars” are often skewed by the social network of mainstream media reporters:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9918831

By: Christine Hurt

Christine Hurt — Sun, 20 May 2007 00:23:37 +0000

The Time piece didn’t identify what sorts of women were outsourcing the nursing of their children. We can guess that the women are wealthy because of the exorbitant cost, but are they professional women or just wealthy women who don’t choose to nurse their children? At least from my own experience and that of my friends, I can tell you that it’s much easier for professional women to nurse after returning to work than for other types of female workers. I’ve always had an office with a door that locks, but not every woman does. I’ve known secretaries that have had to go to conference rooms to nurse. Nursing at work comes with hassles, but those hassles are fewer as you go up the income chain.