Vote, baby, vote.

Long before becoming a lactation consultant I had the privilege of serving with the United Nations as an election organizer and monitor in Cambodia, Bosnia, and South Africa. 

In these countries, the elections were historic steps in establishing a democracy after years of conflict or civil war.  Conflict was usually still raging, and I wore a flak jacket on more than one occasion.

Some of my strongest memories of those years was the sight of people literally risking their lives to cast their votes.  Their lives would be threatened, they'd have to walk for miles to a polling place, they'd have to stand up to those who tried to intimidate or bribe them, but they'd vote. 

Sometimes people would ask me about elections in the U.S.  I used to smile and answer that the United States is a very lucky country, where people don't have to risk their lives to vote, but that sometimes people take that right for granted.  In truth, it seems that we are far more likely to vote for American Idol (580 million votes in the 2005 season) than, say, the president of our country (122 million votes in the 2004 election). 

I returned from each mission determined never to take my right to vote for granted, and I've never missed an election since.  We've brought our son to the polls every time we vote, and he usually gets to wear the "I voted" sticker. 

So, why am I writing about voting on a breastfeeding blog?  Because your state representatives will vote on legislation which provides extra protection for mothers breastfeeding in public, requires that mothers are given time and an appropriate place to pump at work, or exempts mothers from jury duty while breastfeeding.  Your governor's appointees will decide whether you will have access to a lactation consultant when you deliver at your community hospital.  Your federal representatives will decide whether to fund breastfeeding promotion campaigns, and to ensure that breastfeeding is supported through the WIC program. 

And because, at the risk of sounding naive, I truly believe that - at a personal level - breastfeeding is not a partisan issue.  I worked for years at the State Capitol in California, and would see staffers on both sides of the aisle toting their breastpumps to work.  Republican or Democrat, red state or blue state, we all want the best for our children. 

So, vote, baby, vote.  Bring your baby to the polls.  And hum this on the way home.

Comments

[Granny]

You are absolutely right about the importance of voting!

However, it is currently legal to nurse a baby in public EVERYWHERE in the USA. Some states also have additional laws which further protect mothers by penalizing those who harrass them.

There is a comprehensive summary of how the law affects breastfeeding women, both in the USA and around the world, at:
http://www.llli.org/Law/LawMain.html?m=0,1

We all need to continue to strengthen these laws to protect the rights of mothers and babies.

Granny

[Tanya Lieberman]

Good point! Thanks for reminding me/us that breastfeeding in public is legal everywhere. I made a change to the post to reflect this. - Tanya

[Helen]

Personally I don't like people deciding
for me - what should I do, when I should
do & how I should do it.

In my job - there wasn't any special facilities for me to pump. So I went to the manager & requested extra time & a spare room to do it.

She appreciated my passion with it & gave me the facilities to do so. (Could have been another story if the manger was a 'he')

So even though there are no advantagous laws for breastfeeding in my state - I still got special privileges because I asked for it.

Every mother for herself!

Though I still voted :-)

Helen
http://www.MyBreastFeedingSecrets.com

[Sheryl]

It is so important to bote not only as breastfeeders, but also as women! It wasn't that long ago that women weren't able to vote. We've got to make our voice heard. I do think, however that it is not a fair comparisson to put the American Idol number up against the Presidential election numbers. Let's not forget that most of the people voting for American Idol are too young to vote for political offices.

[Tanya Lieberman]

Okay, it wasn't the best comparison. But still - 55% turnout (voting age population) in 2004, and 37% in 2002? Can't we do better than that? Maybe American Idol will train the next generation of voters...
- Tanya

[Susan]

I was traveling this year- so I voted by absentee ballot. It's amazing how easy it is to vote- if you just prioritize it!