In the US per capita consumption has tripled since 1960. We are the  
wealthiest nation living in the wealthiest time in human history and  
for the first time in human history we are saying en masse we can't  
afford to provide our children with full-time mothering for the early  
years of their lives. Is this really true?

The best educated women with the highest earning spouses are the  
women most likely to work fulltime after the birth of a baby. More  
than 1/2 of the daycare subsidies go to families in the top 30% of  
earners, only 3% of the daycare subsidies go to the bottom 30% of  
earners. This subsidy averages around $7,000. Additionally  
corporations are allowed to provide $5,000 dollars worth of daycare  
to families tax free.

A baby is most likely to have a mother fulltime if his parents are  
middle income...babies whose parents are at the income extremes are  
most at risk for being bottle-fed by mother substitutes. What would  
happen if instead of 1.5 billion going to subsidize the daycare of  
the top 30% of earners that 1.5 billion went to subsidize mothers to  
mother their own children in the home in the bottom 30% of earners?

Why are we permitting government and business to conspire to buy  
mothers away from their babies with the tax code?

Jen O'Quinn IBCLC


On Nov 11, 2007, at 7:02 AM, Rachel Myr wrote:

> If Medela had said one word about the unfortunate situation in the  
> US, where
> nearly all women must choose between having an income or being with  
> their
> babies for the first six or twelve months of the child's life, and  
> how their
> products are meant for such women, I might feel more charitable.   
> But they
> don't.


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