My wife has breastfed all of our children, and she is a huge advocate of breastfeeding, but she is not a lactivist, and she does not "whip it out" in public without being covered up. But if she felt she needed to, she should be able to without fear of horrifying Peter Priesthoods and Molly Mormons who might catch a glimpse her breast.

Women today do get a lot of pressure to breastfeed, and the reasoning underlying this is because there is a lot of benefit not just to the health of the baby, but to the bonding between mother and child. But it is not an easy or convenient thing to do, and there are women who cannot do it, for various reasons - maybe they don't produce enough milk, or maybe the baby just won't latch on. The choice to breastfeed or not is between the mother and the baby, and I support completely whatever decision a mother makes.

Breastfeeding is not an easy thing. Aside from the inconvenience of having to drop everything and feed the baby (my wife is currently weaning our twins), it can be painful and frustrating. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes babies bite. Sometimes they just waste time by sucking without drinking, but throw a fit when you try to take them off. Also, with breastfeeding, it doesn't fill babies up quite like formula does, so that means they often wake up several times throughout the night to feed (try that with two - my wife, normally a light sleeper anyway, just hasn't gotten much sleep the last year and a half).

The nursing covers are difficult to use, babies sometimes don't like them, and in the summer, when it's already hot, it can be miserable.

So with the pain, the inconvenience, the lack of sleep, all in the selfless attempt to nurture a baby, on top of all of that, nursing mothers have to deal with the disapproving stares, and sometimes outright verbal complaints of pious, chauvanistic, and selfish people who are so caught up in whether a deacon might catch a glimpse of a nipple, that they can't get past the shock of a mother engaging in this very natural and wholesome activity with her baby.

Yeah, I have strong opinions on this. Not because my wife has ever "whipped it out" in public, but because you people (you know who you are) have caused my wife enough embarrassment about having to nurse her children that she goes to great length not to offend your sensibilities. Fortunately, the people we surround ourselves with have the good sense not to make a big deal about it, or to say anything in our earshot. But she is very aware that there is a segment of our society who disapprove of public breastfeeding. I suppose they keep their opinions to message boards. But if I did hear a male make a comment even approaching disapproval at my wife breastfeeding in public, I would probably punch that person in the throat, and he would deserve it.

I don't view this as a touchy-feely issue where you can have valid opinions either way, because one side causes emotional and mental harm and embarrassment to nursing mothers, and you should be ashamed of yourselves.