The move has launched protests by Facebook members and pro-breast-feeding groups. Facebook officials told The Washington Post they are not against breast-feeding and refer to it as "beautiful," but photos that show nipples violate its terms-of-use policy.

Facebook's policy specifically states that obscene or sexually explicit photos will be removed from the Web site, and the company says photos of full breasts fall in that category.

Speaking Out

This isn't the first time Facebook has pulled a photo of a breast-feeding baby. Last year, the company pulled a photo of a mother breast-feeding her baby, which resulted in the mother forming a group called "Hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene."

Farley, along with the group behind Hey Facebook, the Mothers International Lactation Campaign, organized both a virtual and live nurse-in, which took place Saturday in front of Facebook's headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.

"For many years, the World Health Organization has emphasized the need for mothers to breast-feed and has set minimum standards that many countries, including the United States, still have yet to meet," Farley, a Provo, Utah, mother, wrote in a letter to Facebook. "They have set these standards to help prevent the significant number of deaths of infants in our world. By removing pictures of breast-feeding, the message is sent that it is something shameful, something that should be hidden and not seen."

Farley also said Facebook is discriminating against breast-feeding mothers. "Like issues such as pregnancy, breast-feeding discrimination is a gender issue," she said. "When pictures are removed of breast-feeding and not of artificial feeding, breast-feeding mothers are being discriminated against and a wrongful double standard is set."

Demand for Change

Farley in her letter said by not reacting, the company is ignoring its 60,000 members of Hey Facebook and therefore sending a message that the group is unimportant.

While Farley and the 60,000 members say they understand Facebook's policy on pornography, they are asking Facebook to amend its policy and add a clause saying photos containing nudity, drug use, or other obscene content are not allowed, except in the case of a mother nursing a child.

Farley said Facebook's lack of action may result in the loss of users and customers.

Barry Schnitt, Facebook's spokesperson, said, "We agree that breast-feeding is natural and beautiful and we're very glad to know that it is so important to some mothers to share this experience with others on Facebook. We take no action on the vast majority of breast-feeding photos because they follow the site's terms of use."

He added that photos containing a fully exposed breast, as defined by showing the nipple or areola, violate those terms and may be removed. "These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children (over the age of 13) who use the site," he added. "The photos we act upon are almost exclusively brought to our attention by other users who complain."