A new law requiring breast-feeding in certain situations is being praised by advocates for maternal and infant health, but it also has its critics among libertarians and others.

The law, passed by the Paterboro Town Council last July, recognizes in its preamble the scientific studies of the last few decades that have found that breast-feeding has innumerable health benefits for infants, including helping with immune system support and brain development. It also notes findings that breast-feeding helps mothers connect emotionally with their babies and “lose a few of those extra pounds without having to get off their seats.”

The law, which applies to all 7,300 residents of Paterboro, requires that new mothers attempt to breast-feed at least eight times a day, unless they have a certified medical reason not to. The law continues in effect through the first year of a child’s life, though the number of required feedings tapers and bottle-feeding breast milk can be optioned in after four months.

“We based this on the science,” says town council member Fred Updike. “The children are our future, and we just asked, what do they need?”

The most controversial provision of the new law holds that the benefits of breast-feeding should not be withheld from any child. It mandates that if a woman who is producing milk sees a child under age one who appears to be hungry or lacking in proper care and if she then ascertains that the child’s caretaker is unwilling or unable to breast-feed, she must, immediately upon finding a reasonably comfortable place to sit, breast-feed that child. Any man or non-lactating woman who comes upon a possibly hungry child under age one must immediately find a suitable breast-feeder or phone the Town Hall, where they will maintain a call list of lactating mothers. Furthermore, to “fairly distribute the burden of breast-feeding,” the bill requires all women between the ages of 18 and 47 to use breast pumps or other means of stimulation to extend lactation for as long as possible.

“We feel really good about this bill,” says Mitch Wells, another town council member. “And it was hard, but Democrats and Republicans, we came together on this. Someone had to help the kids.” The other council members, Vern Hughes, Mike Hammon, and Jimmy Westin, are all men. Asked about this, Wells replied, “It’s not about men or women, black or white, rich or poor, it’s about a whole community trying to support the kids. What is wrong with you reporter people?”

Republican Vern Hughes agrees that the law is a great example of bipartisan problem solving. He adds, “Not only is it good for kids and moms, but this is going to help our budget in the out years, since these kids will be healthier and smarter. We won’t have to hire so many teachers.”

One of the bill’s most vocal critics has been libertarian blogger Trevor Hughes, who lives in the Mossy Notch neighborhood of Paterboro. “I know it doesn’t affect me directly,” he says, “but I have to speak up. Remember the thing about ‘they came for the Jews’? Next thing you know, the state will be telling me to eat vegetables. The nanny staters can come up with a, quote-unquote, good-for-you reason for any oppression. You know, just because they’re good for me, and my Twinkie and red meat lifestyle has already imposed huge costs on the state Medicaid system because of my Type 2 diabetes, I don’t want anyone telling me how to eat. They’ll probably tell me I have to eat kale, because all the hipsters like that. I’m really worried that this law puts us on a path to tyranny that could affect men, too.”

Another critic comes in the person of Jimmy Gantz, owner of The Landing Strip, A Gentlemen’s Club. Gantz says the law is poorly conceived. “Sometimes our ladies’ sitters cancel at the last minute and they have to keep babies in the dressing room. Most of our dancers aren’t nursing a child, and so when that little one gets hungry while Mom’s on stage or working the floor, she loses money. That’s just wrong.”

The principal of Paterboro High School has also noticed problems. Paterboro High has an elevated level of teen pregnancy. Principal Jenny Fawkes says that’s already problem enough. “But for some of our student mothers who are 18 and therefore subject to this ordinance’s strictures, it’s been a nightmare.” Fawkes says the school only has space for two dedicated nursing rooms, so often times, young mothers are forced to breast-feed in bathrooms, or, worse, in classrooms. “The boys are always making comments, none of which I can repeat here.”

We also reached out to one of the country’s foremost experts on infant and maternal health, Florence Leche, for comment on the bill. “I always said I’d support a bear baiting bill if it also increased awareness about breast-feeding,” says Leche. “So this, ummm, puts me in an uncomfortable position. I don’t know. It just sounds creepy, but I do want everyone to breast-feed.”

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