Mayor Knows Best?

No longer is it ‘Mother Knows Best.’ Today it’s the Mayor who knows best how to raise our children.

Mayor Bloomberg, who daily works to promote a Nanny State in his city, has now become a Nanny. At least, that’s what he says. He knows better than new moms how to feed their babies.

Beginning in September hospitals in New York City will keep all baby formula under lock and key. New mothers will not be provided with baby formula unless they sign a consent form just as they would for medications. If mothers want to use formula they must first undergo a lecture on the benefits of breast feeding by hospital staff. The New York Health department will monitor formula usage and request a medical reason for its use.

Health officials are applauding the city for its latest push. Thomas Farley, Health Commissioner said, “With this initiative the New York City health community is joining together to support mothers who choose to breastfeed.”

What happened to something as personal as choosing whether to breastfeed or use formula becoming a decision made by the government?  No one argues the potential benefits of breast milk over formula, yet, why is this not a choice that is made by the mother, in consultation with her doctor?

As the Nanny State continues to grow one looks at the irony. Those who fight tooth and nail to offer the woman’s choice to abort a baby are now limiting a woman’s choice to raise a baby.

Or maybe it’s not irony, maybe it’s a trend.

Only a few years ago the idea of a nanny state in America was only promoted in science fiction. Yet today we must wonder how long it will be before the government tells mothers it knows better and takes the children to be reared by appropriate workers.