Abortions also make women skinnier....

The Health Select Committee has just recommended extending paid parental leave to six months, to encourage breast feeding.

As a supporter of paid parental leave (or, more accurately, as someone who believes that paid parental leave doesn't go nearly far enough and that parenting should be resourced as the work it is) I should be happy.

Here's the reason the Health Select Committee has decided breastfeeding is important:

The promotion of breastfeeding for at least the first six months, and preferably for the first year, is widely recommended, as it has an important protective role against obesity during childhood and adolescence, and may also protect mothers against obesity and diabetes.

Apparently women are en-slimmening machines. The main value of our breast-feeding, indeed of parenting in the first six months, is preventing fat cells.

This is from the report into obesity and type 2 diabetes; I may write more later. Although what I actually want to do to the report is to batter it, deep fry it, and then slather it with icing.

PS Dear Health Select Committee members:

You keep running together 'Type Two Diabetes and Obesity' as if they were the same thing: "The immediate cause of obesity and type 2 diabetes is well known..." They're really not. One is a disease, it has symptoms, side-effects and treatments. The other is having your weight being more than 30 times the square of your height.

PPS Dear Green Party: Russel Norman's the reason I'm not voting for you, but the reason I'm going to enjoy not voting for you is Sue Kedgley.