I see that although some cad voted to ban breasts in our latest poll, no one's elected to ban breast-feeding so far. Hurrah for that, since breastfeeding is almost undisputably an unmitigated good.^* Aside from the obvious nutritional benefits, breastmilk contains lysozymes and immunoglobulin A antibodies, which protect the infant from bacterial (etc.) infection until it can develop an immune system of its own. No formula (the favorite alternative to breastmilk), as far as I know, provides the same, which at least partially accounts for the significantly higher rates of mortality and manifold increase in hospitalization rates amongst formula-fed babies. This, incidentally, is what prompted a bunch of people to call for a boycott against the Nestle corporation for marketing formula in third-world countries. Since formula is usually sold in powdered form and must be reconstituted with possibly contaminated water, this is a significantly greater risk to the child, compared to breastmilk, which is free, provides immune protection, and has other ancillary benefits as well.

There's some indication that breastfeeding has other, long-term benefits, as well, including general mental development, possibly reducing obesity, and reducing the likelihood of childhood cancers.

It's unfortunate, then, that breastfeeding rates are less than 100%. In the United States there's a particularly high class discrepancy in breastfeeding rates that's believed to be a product of a combination of lack of education on the subject (which, frankly, is dismal - even the Mayo Clinic says blithely that formula is "perfectly acceptable" as an alternative to breastmilk without discussing its failures), time and work pressures, and, unfortunately, the availability of the WIC formula credit.

We're still at a vast improvement from the 1950s, when breastfeeding went completely out of vogue and was actively frowned upon by ignorant boob doctors^†. But as more women are forced into (or choose to enter) the workplace, hopefully this positive trend won't backslide.

Post scriptum: Yes, menstruation won in the poll. No, no one is surprised.

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^* The one bad thing I'm aware of is that dioxins, which are fat-soluble and accumulate in the mother's body throughout her life, can only be excreted through fatty discharges, viz., breastmilk. The mother's first-born will thus receive her mother's full complement of accumulated dioxin while nursing. Not a great way to start off life, but it's probably still better to breastfeed.

^† Parse that as you like.