Whether you believe in an Intelligent Designer or study the matter scientifically, you’ll agree that mother’s milk is the perfect food for infants. Only in the last couple of generations have many Americans allowed commercial interests to pervert the essentially human act of nurturing our babies.

Fortunately, in Texas, breastfeeding in public has long been protected under law. However, that has not kept mothers from being harrassed. In fact, in the last couple of decades since I breastfed my own son I’ve noticed a decline in support for breastfeeding. A woman’s breast has become increasing eroticized by the media with nipples being pixelized even on medical shows. People seem to have forgotten what breasts are for; we don’t need to protect kids from breasts–breasts are designed for kids. Luckily, Austin has restaurants like Jaime’s Spanish Village which advertise that they are breastfeeding-friendly.

If you are currently breastfeeding, consider taking part in Saturday’s Breastfeeding Challenge 2006 which is taking place simultaneously in cities all over the US and Canada. This is a family event designed to heighten awareness of the importance of breastfeeding in raising healthy children. Help take back breasts from the realm of smutty magazines and put them where they belong–in babies’ mouths.

The Mothers’ Milk Bank of Austin encourages new moms to join in so that Austin can break its own record–42 moms and 44 babies. The Breastfeeding Challenge will take place in Republic Square Park right next to the Farmers Market at 11 o’clock, Saturday, September 30th. Check in at 10:30 am at 4th and Guadalupe.