This is a request to all LactNetters to extend their compassion and 
professional support to a family in the UK, and by doing so, protect the 
status of breasfteeding within the UK.

It is a terribly complex situation, and I will not take up pages on this 
forum explaining it in detail.  All the detail is on my blogspot at:

http://one-of-those-women.blogspot.com/2007/11/request-for-support-for-breastfeeding.html

All I will say is _why_ you should follow that link, and consider using 
your valuable time to fire off an email, letter or fax to the UK Gov.  
And that's because... we have a situation where not only has another 
breastfed baby been literally torn from the arms of the mother, this 
time in the middle of the street, but the mother has since been told she 
is not a fit mother.. because she breast fed the baby after it was removed.

Social Services, after removing the baby, and making no provision for 
the mother to breastfeed it daily (a requirement under European Human 
Rights Legislation), went one further and requested she do not 
breastfeed the baby in access visits as it would _confuse the baby for 
the bottle_.  When the mother continued to breastfeed the baby in access 
visits, despite Social Servies pressure not to.. they have cited this 
act of breastfeeding her baby as evidence of the mother's inability to 
care for her child.  Yes, you read that right, they have a 
psychologist's report stating that by breastfeeding her baby, she was 
acting against the best interests of the infant.

You cannot write to support the family directly - it's prohibited - but 
you can write to the authorities and protest this type of assesement 
upon breasfteeding, and question who has made such judgements, and with 
what professional expertise.  All the details, as I said, are on the 
above link.

The appeal for support is now being channelled through the Victoria 
Climbie Foundation, for anyone who feels that they need to know the 
specifics of this case are as I describe them.  For those outside the UK 
who might be unaware of the Foundation's work... you can find them on... 
http://www.victoria-climbie.org.uk/index.php

Morgan Gallagher

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