I don't know if this has been carried in any newspapers, but my midwife sent this to me this morning. A lot of breastfeeding photos have been removed from Facebook because they fall under the 'pornographic' umbrella of their policy. Here is a copy of the petition and an update with a link to several of the photos that have been removed.
Petition
Recently, Facebook has started 'pulling a myspace' by not allowing people to post profile pictures of babies nursing. The pictures have been reported as 'obscene' and have been removed- their posters warned not to repost or fear being kicked off of Facebook.
We're wondering: what about a baby breastfeeding is obscene? Especially in comparison to MANY other pictures posted all over Facebook that really are obscene.
Facebook, we expect more from you, and we expect you to realize that nursing moms everywhere have a right to show pictures of their babies eating, just like bottle-fed babies have a right to be seen. In an effort to appease the closed-minded, you are only serving to be detrimental to babies, women, and society.
**Facebook, allow breastfeeding pictures, and stop classifying them as obscene!**
Update
M.I.L.C. EVENT A HUGE SUCCESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On December 27th, 2008 over 11 000 people participated in our first ever M.I.L.C. (Mothers International Lactation Campaign) event.
Participants from around the globe joined our virtual protest of Facebooks discriminatory practice of arbitrarily and randomly removing breastfeeding pictures from member profiles and albums, classifying them as obscene content.
We raised our collective voices in opposition to Facebook by posting a breastfeeding image as our profile picture and changing our status line to: Hey Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!
In addition to our virtual nurse-in, a live nurse-in was held at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto CA. Both events caught the attention of media world wide.
Many members received warnings and had photos removed during and after the event. Some examples of these photos can be found here:
http://www.tera.ca/photos6.html
Our movement for equality and fairness continues, and with your support and passion, we will succeed. We are over 100 000 strong, with new members joining by the minute. Keep spreading the word, and inviting your friends.
This is an issue of critical importance not just for nursing mothers and their children, but all of us fighting for gender equality and freedom.
My heartfelt thanks to those of you on the front lines and who shared your words of encouragement and support, for the practical assistance in the planning stages and to the journalists and writers who felt the issue "news worthy".
Our event was a success in many measures... but we still have far to go.
Thank you all
Suggested reading:
1) Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives
- you MUST read this book, absolutely astounding.
2) Fit to Bust by Alison Blenkinsop.
(Proceeds from each book go to support Baby Milk Action).
3) The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer
more to come!
***************************************
01/01/09 100 000 members strong
9/30/07 - 26,000 members!
9/21/07 - 22,000 members
9/20/07 - 21,000 members
9/19/07 - 20,000 members!
9/18/07 - 19,000 members
9/17/07 - 18,000 members
9/16/07 - 17,000 members
9/15/07 - 16,000 members
9/15/07 - 15,000 members
9/14/07 - 14,000 members
9/12/07 - 12,000 members
9/11/07 - 10,000 members
9/07/07 - 7,000 members
8/25/07 - 6,000 members
Petition
Recently, Facebook has started 'pulling a myspace' by not allowing people to post profile pictures of babies nursing. The pictures have been reported as 'obscene' and have been removed- their posters warned not to repost or fear being kicked off of Facebook.
We're wondering: what about a baby breastfeeding is obscene? Especially in comparison to MANY other pictures posted all over Facebook that really are obscene.
Facebook, we expect more from you, and we expect you to realize that nursing moms everywhere have a right to show pictures of their babies eating, just like bottle-fed babies have a right to be seen. In an effort to appease the closed-minded, you are only serving to be detrimental to babies, women, and society.
**Facebook, allow breastfeeding pictures, and stop classifying them as obscene!**
Update
M.I.L.C. EVENT A HUGE SUCCESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On December 27th, 2008 over 11 000 people participated in our first ever M.I.L.C. (Mothers International Lactation Campaign) event.
Participants from around the globe joined our virtual protest of Facebooks discriminatory practice of arbitrarily and randomly removing breastfeeding pictures from member profiles and albums, classifying them as obscene content.
We raised our collective voices in opposition to Facebook by posting a breastfeeding image as our profile picture and changing our status line to: Hey Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene!
In addition to our virtual nurse-in, a live nurse-in was held at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto CA. Both events caught the attention of media world wide.
Many members received warnings and had photos removed during and after the event. Some examples of these photos can be found here:
http://www.tera.ca/photos6.html
Our movement for equality and fairness continues, and with your support and passion, we will succeed. We are over 100 000 strong, with new members joining by the minute. Keep spreading the word, and inviting your friends.
This is an issue of critical importance not just for nursing mothers and their children, but all of us fighting for gender equality and freedom.
My heartfelt thanks to those of you on the front lines and who shared your words of encouragement and support, for the practical assistance in the planning stages and to the journalists and writers who felt the issue "news worthy".
Our event was a success in many measures... but we still have far to go.
Thank you all
Suggested reading:
1) Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives
- you MUST read this book, absolutely astounding.
2) Fit to Bust by Alison Blenkinsop.
(Proceeds from each book go to support Baby Milk Action).
3) The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer
more to come!
***************************************
01/01/09 100 000 members strong
9/30/07 - 26,000 members!
9/21/07 - 22,000 members
9/20/07 - 21,000 members
9/19/07 - 20,000 members!
9/18/07 - 19,000 members
9/17/07 - 18,000 members
9/16/07 - 17,000 members
9/15/07 - 16,000 members
9/15/07 - 15,000 members
9/14/07 - 14,000 members
9/12/07 - 12,000 members
9/11/07 - 10,000 members
9/07/07 - 7,000 members
8/25/07 - 6,000 members
We need to get our morals, ethics, whatever you want to call it together and make actually caring for your children okay and brutally killing others obscene. The way they treat these murderers like they are the most interesting people in the world!
I don't think it will be either.
Thus far toad nudity is still not obsene. 
