Parental Rights vs What's Right for the Child
What a Baby Needs may Differ from What the Parent Wants
Aug 6, 2009
New parents are confronted with numerous choices. Current parental rights allow parents to solely decide what is best for their child, including: Should the baby be breastfed? Should the male be circumcised? Should cloth or disposable diapers be used? All of these choices are left to the parents to decide, since it's their right. All parents should think about what is best for their new baby, but that isn’t always the case.
Breast Feeding Should come Naturally
Many new mothers don’t want to bother with breastfeeding, so they immediately give their baby formula. Outsiders assure them that it’s just as good as breast milk. Can something not naturally made be as good as what nature intended for a baby? Whatever the answer is, it’s still the parents’ right to choose. Due to a lot of groups now saying it’s offensive for mothers to breastfeed their babies in public, many women don’t feel comfortable doing it.
It’s Legal in all US States to Breastfeed
According to the National Conference of State Legislature 43 states in the US have implemented laws allowing women to breastfeed in public. Even without the law, it is legal to breastfeed in those remaining states as well. Still the knowledge that it offends others keeps many women from doing it. There are ways around this discomfort though. Pumps make it possible to bring milk along on trips, so the baby still gets the benefit of the breast milk. It is still a personal choice, and no one can force a woman to breast-feed.
Shouldn’t Circumcision be the Boy’s Decision?
On the other hand, is it a parent’s right or a child’s right to have their son circumcised as an infant? Do parents truly own their child, or are they just the caregiver until that child becomes an adult? There are some men who have sued the doctor that circumcised them, and they won. Circumcision is considered genital mutilation is some circles. It is surgically removing one of the most sensitive areas on the male body, which will permanently affect their sexual satisfaction as adults.
Pro-circumcision groups state that circumcision is the only way to protect the boys from future diseases, including penile cancer and HIV. These statistics are overstated and many medical professionals have debunked a lot of it. If the boy grows up and decides it’s what he wants, it is his right to have it done...not the parents.
Cloth Diapers are Not our Mother’s Diapers
Which is better, cloth or disposable diapers? It is hard to find a store that sells cloth diapers. It is much more convenient to not only buy disposable but to use them as well. Cloth diapers have come a long way in the last few decades. They are colorful with Velcro straps, and they are leak proof. The price can run a bit high, but if the perpetual cost of disposable diapers is taken into consideration, cloth diapers would be much cheaper in the long run. Even considering the extra water, detergent and bleach used, it's still cheaper to use cloth. The water is recycled to be used again, only a minimal amount of detergent is used to wash diapers, and bleach is only used once a month. There is more chlorine put in normal drinking water. Many mothers also line dry the diapers to save on the cost of drying them.
Cloth diapers are not cheap though. The start up cost of using them can be cost prohibitive for a lot of parents, which can vary from a few hundred all the way to $400 or more. Though it can be hard to find a local store that sells them, they can be purchased online from numerous sites. Most, if not all, offer free shipping, and the cost of the online diapers is the same as the ones bought locally.
Generic brands of disposable diapers can be bought for about half the cost of the major brands and might be the better route for families on a tight budget. Each disposable diaper takes hundreds of years to decompose; however, and there are thousands of them added to landfills every day. More and more babies are born every year, so one can visualize the landfills taking up more and more land with plastic and waste, not to mention how many trees are lost from their manufacture. The chemicals put into disposable diapers to make them so absorbent are rough on babies’ skin and can lead to infections and rashes. It might be a bit more work to use cloth diapers, but they are not only better for the baby but for the environment as well.
Babies Have Rights too
In conclusion many things considered as parental rights can be interpreted differently. Just about all of them should be the baby’s rights and what is best for him or her. Breastfeeding will ultimately make the baby healthier and boost his or her immune system. Routine circumcision may not be the best choice and can result in complications now and bitter feelings later on. It’s best to do research on both points of view before making any decision that will affect a boy for the rest of his life. Disposable vs Cloth diapers: Disposable may be easier to use, but they leave a giant carbon footprint on this planet, one that may come back to haunt everyone in the future. Cloth are reusable and better for the baby. All three are up to a parent who's main priority should be the well being of their child.
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