This week’s goal is to begin collecting information and planning for the final Commentary essay by reading, thinking, and engaging with your topic. As you determine your topic, you’ll want to be sure it’s viable by understanding the perspectives within it and determining what unique angle you can offer to the conversation. Under each prompt or question below, provide detailed information about your topic.

1. What is your chosen topic, and how did you come across it? Why is it interesting to you? What do you personally hope to gain or accomplish by writing about this topic? In this section, define your topic and explain where you first heard about it (i.e. local newspaper, website, etc.). Reflect on how or why your background, motivations, needs, or interests inspired your curiosity about this topic, and consider how the topic relates to your overall goals for writing.

The Topic I chose to do is Public Breastfeeding. I read about a woman who was charged with indecent exposure in New York.  New York has a law stating that public breastfeeding is completely legal.  The cop claimed that she was violating the law.  The way the cop treated her was atrocious as well.  He caused the woman to drop her baby and refused to let bystanders call an ambulance while he arrested the mom.

This is interesting to me because I come from a family of 3 kids.  If I knew this is how my mom was treated, I would be upset about it.  I hope to gain a better understanding of the mindset of people.  This topic will hopefully give me a better appreciation for my mother as well.  It will bring a better understanding of what women go through with their children.  I hope to also gain a new respect for my wife and what she went through while I was on deployment.

2. Provide a brief summary of the topic. Explain the current issues surrounding the topic and share at least two different positions on the topic. As this is a summary, this section should be written in your own words; however, you must first conduct research to complete this section. Find at least two sources that offer differing perspectives on this topic and summarize their points of view. In your summary, also explain who the author or publishing organization is and how he, she, or it relates to the topic. Although we will be learning more about APA style next week, use Chapter 28 in your textbook and our APA class tutorials to provide full references for both sources.

The issue with public breastfeeding is that it is considered indecent today.  There have been blankets specifically designed to help women breastfeed.  Babies are giving a better chance for a healthy life.  There are certain nutrients that a baby gets from the mother they can’t get anywhere else.  This is a highly natural thing that people have started to perceive otherwise.

One article shows how this country needs to get over breastfeeding in public.  They need to see that it is a natural process in life.  The author of the article Katherine Chretien, an associate professor of medicine at George Washington University, has personally experienced this issue.  In the article, she supports breastfeeding.  She also explains how society has changed the view of breastfeeding.

A second article shows the effects of breastfeeding on babies.  It shows how important it is for the health of the child.  The author was Lucy Birch, a third-year student Midwife at Plymouth University.   Her experience as a midwife has given her the experience of witnessing these effects first hand.  She is able to account for the way women are treated in public.

Birch, L. (2015). Public health: Breastfeeding battles.  British Journal Of Midwifery, 23(6), 438-441.

Katherine, C. (n.d).  When will the USA get over breastfeeding hang-ups?.  USA Today.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

3. What specific issue will you write about within the larger topic, and what unique angle will you provide?

I will be writing about the issue of people seeing breastfeeding as a sexual act.  I will show the angle of how people have become so perverse about a natural act.

4. Define your audience. Who are they, and what are their needs, motivations, and influences? In what ways will you need to structure your writing to appeal to them? Analyze the groups and individuals who are reading and writing on your chosen topic. Work to define who they are and how their backgrounds will dictate your writing approach.

My target audience is the mothers who have or are about to have a child.  They are the people that see this as a viable issue.  Their needs are to know the truth about the issue.  The motivation for them is the support given by those that can sympathize with them.  Their influence is the ideas and beliefs by popular vote.  They are the ones that have to go through the process of feeding a baby.  They

I will need to structure the writing in a way that shows support to the mothers.  Show the truths about the natural essence of breastfeeding.  I also need to show how people are wrong about the way they look at public breastfeeding without being offensive.  The information will have to be structured in organized sections aimed at the issue.  The only way to get the writing to appeal to them is to use the right words to catch their attention.