Unsplash/ Hollie Santos
CV NEWS FEED // The 94-year-old founder of La Leche League, an international support group for breastfeeding mothers, has resigned from the organization’s board over its inclusion of men and its position that they have the ability to breastfeed.
The Daily Wire reports that Marian Tompson wrote in her letter to the current senior leadership that the organization has become “a travesty of my original intent.” Tompson founded the organization in 1956.
“From an organization with the specific mission of supporting biological women who want to give their babies the best start in life by breastfeeding them,” Tompson wrote, “LLL’s focus has subtly shifted to include men who, for whatever reason, want to have the experience of breastfeeding, despite no careful long-term research on male lactation and how that may affect the baby.”
Tompson referred to the organization’s policy allowing trans-identifying males to participate in the breastfeeding support groups.
“This shift from following the norms of nature, which is the core of mothering through breastfeeding, to indulging the fantasies of adults, is destroying our organization,” Tompson added.
She said that she had attempted to change the policies to no avail, but she would consider re-joining the board if the organization “returns to its original Mission and Purpose.”
Tompson is not the only LLL member to quit over transgender policies. Miriam Main, a trustee for LLL Great Britain, also resigned over the “bullying, lies, and cruelty of recent times.”
Main added that she refused to help men “perform a poor imitation of breastfeeding,” risking babies’ lives.
The Daily Mail explains that Main’s resignation came after the British arm of LLL had to call in the Charity Commission regulator when a dispute broke out over the organization’s policy to include “transgender” men.
“The LLLGB Council of Directors are aware that Marian Tompson has resigned from the La Leche League International Board,” a spokesperson for LLL Great Britain stated. “We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the role Marian Tompson has taken both in founding LLL and her tireless global work in the wider field of breastfeeding support for almost seventy years.”
