I know that the rewards are great and the profits monetarily aren't gainful
in this field,but I suppose that if I had written anything for an
ABM manufacturer,I would require a statement on the pamphlet stating that I
completed the work for the advancement of breastfeeding families at no cost
and that I was in no way endorsing the products of the company.(Does
writing for a company automatically indicate that one IS endorsing their
products?Hmmm.)

I cannot accept gifts of any sort or funds from such markets because of the
ethics involved--period.Even if the $ goes for certain BF projects,the
money from the consumer is where the profits come from and to me that money
is blood money.I do not want $ from a product which increases the
probability of families' poor health. Nor do I wish to purchase products
made in Chinese prisons.(The ethics behind a child's meal toy and toys in
general is mind boggling)

Also,it is the 6th year that  the Indiana Perinatal Educator Conference
 has been supported by a manufacturer of ABM. And  while a lot of people
overlook the listed members on the planning committee, and while the topics
and speakers are informative and gifted, it is truly a shame that the
financial support is accepted and thus depended upon annually to continue
this conference.The sponsors are clearly stated on the cover of the
registration: St.Vincent Community Health Network,Indiana Univerisity
Medical Center and Mead Johnson nutritionals.It is also a shame that
because of the continued sponsorship it is not a conference which I have
chosen
to attend, mainly because there are many other conferences from which I can
gather the same info. AND receive cerps. I am employed by one of the
hospitals sponsoring this event and last year an associate and myself were
vendors of our LC practices for this event.

Wouldn't an alternative to having a certain sponsor on one's planning
committee be to increase the cost of the event to the consumer,the
conference attendees? To me, $35 for a 6 1/2 hour conference is unreal--and
cheap.And this fee includes a continental breakfast,a large luncheon in a
very ritzy hotel,with many door prizes.  In attending this conference, IMHO
each attendee is accepting $ indirectly/directly from families who have
used a suboptimal product,either by coersion,misinformation or lack of
accurate information, or expensive marketing techniques which each formula
feeding family is paying for every time they buy the product.
If anyone has any other suggestions,send them my why ...I have shared a
copy of Marsha's "Hazards....." with my supervisor last year,and had said
that I would like to sell them at the conference,an idea which was poorly
received; ( and  my husband had to have his 2nd sinus surgery on that very
day so I wasn't able to exhibit with associate.)

This year or next could be a turning point as we are forming an LC group
for Southern/Central Indiana. I plan to share the above ideas and try to
enlist the help of others.  Just reading "Hazards of ...." in JHL is enough
to take one's breath away. How can anyone ignore the actual problems with
 expensive, inferior, artificial alternatives especially with all the
autoimmune diseases people are faced with these days? (diabetes, multiple
schlerosis, rheumatoid arthritis .....to which no cures have been found,
despite all the generous gifts
and non-profit orgnizations' yearly fund raising events.)

Off the Suds,
Denise Ferrell,IBCLC in Indiana