Breast feeding shouldn’t be turned into a spectator sport

This has nothing whatsoever with the pros and cons of breast feeding. Like just about everything else that has to do with a woman’s body, whether to breast feed should be a woman’s choice. Like just about everything else that has to do with a woman’s body, men should not even be allowed to participate in the debate.

But I do have a problem with turning something so personal into a public spectacle and that’s just what something like World Breast Feeding Week does. If the week was just about raising public awareness, I wouldn’t have a problem. But staging "a synchronized breast feeding event" and then inviting media photographers to document it is simply a gross invasion of privacy. It doesn’t help that the Dallas event, according to a news release from the City of Dallas (why our municipal government is involved with this horrendous spectacle defies explanation), will be staged "behind O’Reily Auto Parts." That just adds another layer of insult.

And, according to the city’s release, door prizes will be awarded. I won’t even hazard a guess…

At least the city had the good sense not to put this release on its Web site. It was simply e-mailed to area reporters, editors and bloggers.

There are, I’m guessing, millions of women out there who would prefer to breast feed their newborns but for reasons beyond their control, are unable to do so. How do you think such a display makes them feel?

This is just so wrong on so many different levels.