I really must admit that I am getting incredibly tired of people labeling women who choose to nurse or talk about the benefits of nursing as extremists.
Does caring and informing equal extremism?
Or are the people attacking breast-feeding advocates practicing exactly what they preach against?
Case in point: Michelle Obama.
"Let's Move!" is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let's Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices. Providing healthier foods in our schools. Ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food. And, helping kids become more physically active. (www.letsmove.gov)
According to Politics Daily, as part of the programs second year the first lady is gently encouraging breastfeeding -- including working to make workplaces more pumping friendly and qualifying breast pumps as medical equipment to qualify them for a tax deduction. Just last week the IRS ruled in favor of the breast pump tax deduction along with over-the-counter medical items such as pain relievers, bandages, and contact supplies.
So what is the problem? The problem is that right-winged tea-partiers like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin are considering this new IRS development and Mrs. Obama's encouragement of breast feeding 'breaking news' and part of the 'liberal agenda' but never once mention the addition of tax deductions for contacts. For bandages. The only item that is under attack is the breast pump. What makes the breast pump so special?
First of all there is nothing wrong with encouraging breast feeding for health reasons or considering breast pumps medical equipment. The IRS is simply allowing nursing mothers the same right that other people who purchase and use medical supplies have. People still have the option to choose to breast feed or to choose to formula feed. Lets face it, there will always be people who will choose not to nurse their kids for reasons that are none of my business but that does not expunge the fact that it is accepted scientific knowledge that breast feeding is both natural and expected by the neonate. There is nothing wrong with pointing this out to a public that may be ill informed.
Secondly, when have tea partiers been against tax cuts and the reduction of medicaid or overall medical expenses? Isn't one of their main stances that health care is too expensive? Here are the facts: If 90 percent of Americans breasfed their babies for the first six months of life the US would save 13 billion dollars a year and prevent 1,000 related deaths. As a family you save roughly 600 dollars by exclusively breast feeding for six months.
Here is how I break it down. These 'mama bears' don't want:
-to provide equal rights for nursing mothers
-are against tax breaks
-are against providing accurate medical information to people
-are against encouraging (not forcing!) a practice that could save the country 13 billion dollars a year
Why coin the term 'mama bear' for yourself if you are not really interested in representing what is best for mothers and families? Not surprisingly it sure seems that these family-first ladies are more concerned with political images then the mothers they claim to represent.
Props to Michelle Obama for providing and encouraging a program that could only improve the childhood obesity rate and for providing pumping moms the tax break they deserve.
No comments:
Post a Comment