Breastfeeding a 6-year-old is on the extreme end of extended breastfeeding, but should the act actually be illegal?
For one Australian mother it now is.
But before breastfeeding advocates get all hot and bothered, it seems the multitude of stories that say the mom was breastfeeding her kid too long have it all wrong.
This isn't a case of breastfeeding. It's sex abuse.
Says News.com.au:
During a custody battle over the little boy in a Melbourne court, it was revealed he had complained that the mother wanted him to suckle her breasts during a visit with her last year.
The court has banned the mom from breastfeeding him, but if the kid was asked to suckle by his mom … and there was no food coming out, is that really breastfeeding?
It sounds like someone's clouding the issue here to raise the ire of breastfeeding advocates for an issue that isn't even an issue.
Breastfeeding ceases to be breastfeeding when the milk stops flowing. And at that point, breasts do indeed revert to being sexual — especially if a mother is requesting a child suckle rather than the other way around.
The act of suckling can be sexually arousing. Studies have shown as much as 40 percent of women report some sort of arousal during breastfeeding. The numbers are fewer (let's face it, how many of us can get off on just nipple stimulation alone from an adult?) but some have even experienced orgasm.
That's not to say breastfeeding is sexual — it's the act of feeding one's child.
But take away the food, and what are you left with? Sex abuse of a child.
Image via blmurch/Flickr
