送交者: HunHunSheng 于 2008-09-28, 20:06:10:
Current use
Through the widespread availability of infant formula, wet nurses are no longer necessary in developed nations and, therefore, are not common. The act of nursing a baby other than one's own often provokes strong negative reactions in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, being compared to wife swapping and potentially viewed as child abuse [3] [4]. When a mother is unable to nurse her own infant, an acceptable mediated substitute is expressed milk (or especially colostrum) donated to milk banks, analogous to blood banks.
The use of a wet nurse is still a common practice in many developing countries, although it poses a risk of HIV infection [5]. The use of a wetnurse is seen as a status symbol in some parts of modern China [5].
Islamic law or sharia specifies the permanent family-like relationships (known as rada) incurred by people who were nursed by the same woman, i.e. who grew up together as youngsters. They and various specific relatives cannot marry, that is, they are mahram, and the rules of modesty known as hijab are relaxed, as they would be for family members.