In 1956, a group of seven women, including Marian Leonard Tompson, formed La Leche League International (LLLI). The organization’s purpose was “to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.”
Well, let’s just say things have changed a little bit since then, especially the “mother-to-mother” part, and Tompson and other members of LLLI leadership aren’t having it. The 94-year-old, who currently sits on the organization’s board of directors, announced earlier this month that she was resigning from the work that she has poured her heart and soul into for most of her life. The reason? Breastfeeding men.
In a letter to the organization, she says it has become a “travesty of my original intent.” She added:
From an organization with the specific Mission of supporting biological women who want to give their babies the best start in life by breastfeeding them, LLL’s focus has subtly shifted to include men who, for whatever reason, want to have the experience of breastfeeding despite no careful long-term research on male lactation and how that may affect the baby.
This shift from following the norms of Nature, which is the core of mothering through breastfeeding, to indulging the fantasies of adults, is destroying our organization.
Despite my efforts these past two years as a Board member, it has become clear that there is nothing I can do to change this trajectory by staying involved.
Still, I leave the door open to come back when La Leche League returns to its original Mission and Purpose. […]
— Read More: pjmedia.com
