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.
