A couple of digests ago I posted to Lactnet the link to a commentary I recently had published in The Oregonian regarding guilt and the Lancet's report of the meta-analysis showing that the less a woman breastfeeds, the greater her risk of breast cancer. If you didn't already read it and want yet another look at guilt, my commentary can currently be read online at: http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/editorial/1027598179287640.xml. Here are a few quotes:
"News like this is often met with concern about inducing guilt in women who don't breastfeed. But in no other area of health are people seen as needing emotional protection from the knowledge of risk. In fact, concealing risk is unethical and violates the principles of informed consent."

"Instead, parents hear about the 'benefits' of breastfeeding, as though they are perks above and beyond what mothers could want for themselves and their children. These 'benefits' are measured against the poorer health outcomes of formula feeding -- outcomes so common in the United States that they are seen as the 'norm' by which we measure health."

"This issue isn't about guilt. It's about respecting the right of women to make informed decisions about their and their children's health. It's about stopping the unethical marketing of human milk substitutes by formula companies who profit from our declining health. It's about hospitals engaging in evidence-based practices that support breastfeeding, and medical schools including sufficient training on the importance and management of breastfeeding, and employers enacting policies that keep women from having to choose between making a living and breastfeeding their children."

Good Mojab, C. The real breastfeeding issue goes far beyond mere guilt. The Oregonian. Thursday, July 25, 2002.
Guilt is not the issue. But it is very effectively used to distract everyone from seeing and redressing the violation of women's rights, unethical marketing, substandard training of health care providers, and unfair labor practices.

Cynthia

Cynthia Good Mojab
Ammawell
Email: [log in to unmask] 
Web site: http://home.attbi.com/~ammawell 

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