New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg knows what’s best for you. He knows how much salt and saturated fat you should cook with and eat, how much soda you should drink, and now, he can even dispense medical advice to nursing mothers! During the weekend, New York City announced that starting September 3rd, the city will enact the most restrictive and pro-breast feeding program in the country.
New mothers who want to feed their newborn babies formula in the hospital will now need to document a medical reason every single time they want their child fed. Newborns are fed about every two to three hours, which means every time a baby in a hospital needs a feeding, a doctor needs to be tracked down to give medical authorization to dispense something that can be bought over the counter anywhere in the world.
Everyone knows that “the breast is best” – the benefits of breast milk are well-documented and without a doubt the healthiest option for newborn babies. There are, however, many reasons why a new mother may choose to opt for formula. Mothers, and sometimes their doctors, make the decision that is best for all parties involved. There is no harm in providing a baby with formula, and given any number of possible medical issues, it is sometimes the only option. Doctors and their time, already in short supply, will now be stretched even more thin as they are forced to involve themselves in the private decisions of their patients every two-three hours when a newborn is fed.
Bloomberg has proven in his tenure as mayor that he doesn’t trust New Yorkers to make the right decision for themselves and their families. It seems “my body, my choice” only applies to women’s reproductive decisions while a baby is in utero. From the moment that child emerges from the birth canal, Nanny Bloomberg takes over.
This is just creepy. There's really no other way to describe it. I strive to apply the best possible construction to the actions of others, but this is really out there. How does a person become this arrogant? Who would even want to regulate this area of behavior? But I know that many leftists recognize no limit to their intrusive authority, so I don't know why I'm surprised. Yuck. What a weirdo.
Not a nanny- a Commissar.
You're right on about the whole "My body, my choice" hypocrisy. It's one of the things that drives me particularly nuts about the Left. You know, the people who believe the state has every right to deny you a knee transplant but not an abortion. That'
The "breast is best" mantra is silly. Yes, it is better than formula, just like whole wheat, seven grain bread is better than crappy Wonder Bread, but does it really matter? I suppose if you ate nothing but Wonder Bread your whole life it would matter, but you don't, and babies don't. Like Global Warming, where there is some issue but the alleged vast dangers are highly exaggerated, drinking formula is a villain of the Left, and even though it might not be "best" but is not really a big deal. n nThe real problems this episode shows that the Left will scare monger anything for its agenda, and that the Left really just wants to control people. That is Obama's agenda too. n nFrom this perspective, Obama and Bloomberg are closer to Fascists–who want to control the means of production–than to Socialists–who want to own them. This is why the Socialist label doesn't work so well with Obama. He would much rather control industries and retain the veneer of capitalism. But his real inspiration continues to be the charismatic "benevolent" dictator who control all but does not necessarily own (who needs to when you control it)?
This from CBS News: n n"The program is voluntary for hospitals, and is part of a nationwide effort to improve newborns' health by promoting breast-feeding for babies." n nThe key word is VOLUNTARY. And Bloomberg didn't initiate this program; it's an initiative of the World Health Organization. I know it hurts for Commentary to give the full story (e.g. the "you didn't build that" flap), but it's always best to do so.
Voluntary, sure, but coercive type of "voluntary". Not a good way to help the mother-baby bond. Bloomberg is mayor and made the decision to do this. He "volunteered" to do that! And if you want to go there ("you didn't build that") you need to listen to that tape of BHO as well! He mocked businesspeople.
Yeah, voluntary like a protection racket. "Nice newborn you got there, Mrs./Ms. Plonit; be a real shame if he had to go hungry at feeding time while we fill out the paperwork that you refused to breast feed him, then round up someome qualified to counsel you about why breast feeding is better, then have the counseling session — you know, those can take quite a while to do thoroughly so's we can do our duty to make sure you understand –, then fill out more paperwork to show that we counseled you and that you still insist on formula, then track down whoever has the key, then find someone to mix the formula and heat it — yep, a newborn could get pretty hungry while all that's going on. Sure would be a shame to put a pretty little baby like yours through all that. I'm just sayin', of course"
Yes, the key word is voluntary. I must have missed the part that makes this voluntary for the mothers. Or maybe you and I just have different definitions for that word. Like War is Peace and all that. ____I know it hurts you to acknowledge that the left's propensity to interfere with "a woman's right to control her own body" is at least as great as the right's, but simply manifests itself in different and arguably even more intrusive ways, and with less justification.____Waiting for the howls of outraged feminists. I suspect I will have to wait quite a while.____In the mean time, we will hear the howling of hungry newborns forced to wait to be fed until our Platonic guardians decide that the mother has sufficiently weighed the benefits of breast feeding, or at least the benefits of letting Mayor Bloomberg decide what's good for her and her newborn.
"it's an initiative of the World Health Organization." nOh, well if it's from the UN,it must be good. After all, just look at everything the UN has done to advance the cause of freedom and human dignity over its lifetime, and especially in the last few decades.
oh, WHO is behind it? well that makes me feel MUCH better. not only is it an incredibly creepy nanny-state usurpation of power, it's also an INTERNATIONAL creepy nanny-state usurpation of power.
Well you have read about George Soros and the “Global Governance” crowd over at the UN, haven’t you?
Glad I don't live in NYC – the idea of giving a new mother a "talking to" each time she wants to feed her baby… *shudder*. What about "respecting the wisdom of each mother to decide how to care for her children, her family and herself."?
Once it's determined what the best formula is, the father should bring a supply with him when he visits. Napoleon Bloomberg doesn't see any limits on his power, and that's dangerous. He needs to be stopped now.
Perhaps in the interest of equal rights, Nanny Bloomberg should require all fathers to get surgical implants of lactation glands in their breasts.r nr nHas anyone noticed that it only applies to city hospitals, which are more heavily frequented by folks with less money? Once again, his policy decision will disproportionately affect the poor.