Hey! I know! This is a great idea!
Oh, yeah? What's that?
Did you know that human milk plays an important role in normal immune function, that it protects against some forms of childhood cancer, and that it kills cancer cells in vitro*? Also, did you know that the WHO recommends two years or more of breastfeeding for children worldwide? Well, here's my great idea: let's tell that mom staying here, the one whose toddler has a brain tumor, that she can't nurse in communal spaces!
Wha-?
Yeah, let's tell her she has to go to her room, up three flights of stairs, where no one is allowed to eat or drink. Her kid won't eat anything but breastmilk right now, so maybe the inconvenience will motivate him to get back on a normal diet.
...You think? But isn't there a law in this state about public breastfeeding being okay?
Well, yeah, but we can just blow them off if they bring that up. Seventeen months is too old for that anyway.
You know, I heard the law doesn't say anything about age. It just says if a mother can be there, she can breastfeed there.
Hm. I know! If they bring it up, we can THREATEN them! Yeah, that's it. I'll crack my knuckles and say they'd better be very careful. We'll say we're going to give them the boot if they have the audacity to expect us to comply with state law. That's exactly what they deserve while they're away from home with a seriously sick kid.
What if they want to know why we're saying no?
We'll tell them...uh...we'll tell them...hm...I know! We'll tell them it's important to be sensitive to the needs of multicultural families!
Babies from other cultures don't need their mothers' milk?
No, silly, every baby needs human milk. But here in Texan culture, we would prefer it if breastmilk didn't actually come from, you know, [whispers] breasts. I feel uncomfortable with that. Which is obviously more important than the wellbeing of the actual families I am paid to assist.
It makes you uncomfortable that mammals lactate?
Listen, whose side are you on? Do I have to remind you about our mission?
Yeah, what could be more homey than being bullied in flagrant violation of your legal rights? Who could ask for anything more?
----
I wasn't going to blog about this because finals loom, but it is beyond preposterous that a facility intended to help sick children appears unaware of the importance of human milk to those same sick children. I was going to link to the MDC pages where the whole thing was unfolding, but those threads have been pulled because of liability concerns about actual names posted in them. Here's a blog post with some lengthy quotes from the original MDC thread, and people to contact if you are as incensed by this as I am.**
*ooh, look, it can kill cancer cells in vivo too!
**you might also consider contacting the TX Attorney General.
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