Dear LACTNET, We've written to you about ICEA's New Parent Magazine and Transitions to Parenthood video series. Many of you have contacted us and ICEA's Central Office and ICEA's president and president-elect. We'd like to see that your letters and calls changed the fact that ICEA is sending out these products. Unfortunately we can't say that. A second batch has gone out and there are now advertisements for the magazines and videos in the December Journal. And the responses that members have received have not only been unsatisfactory, but untrue. For the record the president presented us with a very complicated problem last spring: a finished magazine that was at my doorstep within two weeks of the board agreeing to letting one mailing go out. The videos went out without being seen by the entire board. For the record. 5 of the 7 voting board members strongly strongly strongly objected to these products because they violated both ICEA guidelines and philosophy, as well as the WHO code.. A deeper problem exists because of how the board is making decisions and keeping secrets. We have had many people tell us that there emails and letters were not responded to at all or at least with information that wasn't quite correct. We received a letter from an ICEA member, Kim Etherington, an ICCE & DONA, about a week ago and have had correspondence with her about this issue. Her calls to central office were very unsatisfactory. In light of the fact that there have been numerous complaints and calls to the central office, president, and president elect, by members, and consultants over the last few months, there has been no change in the president and persident-elects position. They have told one of our consultants that they will not breach the contract that SMG, (Impact Media), has with the vendor, Playtex. Kim Etherington has given me permission to share her letter to the board with you. I think it's important. It is evident at this point that both ICEA members and members of our sister organization let the president and president elect of ICEA know that this is an IMPORTANT issue. The problem to me is quite simple. We cannot blame SMG Marketing or Playtex. ICEA let them in and gave them access to our members and to the families we serve. It has become very apparent to me that there is a lack of committment to the WHO code. Otherwise this would not have happened and we would have been working to fix this. Playtex has invaded my hospital by spending less that $2.50 per ICEA member. ICEA's email address is: [log in to unmask] Contact the president and president-elect. Get their committment to ending these advertisements. Get their committment to support the WHO code. period. No matter how much money they can make. Get their promise that this will never happen again. Get their guarantee. If you are a member, you have a right to that committment. If you are a sister organization, you have the right to know that so that you can decide how and if you deal with ICEA in the future. Feel free to contact any of us with questions or comments. Sincerely Debra Madonna, ICEA Secretary Barbara Kennedy, ICEA Director of Education, [log in to unmask] Kathy Swift, ICEA Treasurer, [log in to unmask] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ -----Original Message----- From: Paul F. Etherington [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Monday, December 20, 1999 9:40 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [Fwd: ICEA and The WHO Code] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hello Debra Regarding posting my letter on LACTNET, please use the following: I hereby grant permission for Debra Madonna to post the attached letter on LACTNET. If you need more let me know. Kim Etherington, +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 12-20-99 To all Current and Future Board Members of ICEA I am a certified childbirth educator and doula in Canada. I received my certification through ICEA a few years ago. I chose ICEA because I believed in thier philosophy and in particular their support of the WHO Code on the marketing or breastmilk substitutes and related products. I was very disappointed when I received the Transitions to Parenthood Video Series and New Parent Magazine. Having ads for bottles is a clear violation of the WHO Code. Not to mention the content was not very breastfeeding friendly. Advising mothers that are uncomfortable nursing in public to "use the platex nurser" is not breastfeeding friendly. Putting aside the information, the WHO code violations are enough to upset me. Now I add to my initial concerns, my concern for how ICEA is run and who is making the decisions. I have called the office directly and was lied to by Doris regarding the positive reception and lack of concern over these videos. I was made to feel like I was the only one who notice these violations and I am very angry about that. Another point, is the lack of accountability that ICEA has to its members. I have sent three emails to ICEA regarding my concerns and never received any official response. I posted a concerns over the ICEA violations on a message board. I was surprised at the response I got back considering Doris said only a couple of negative comments had been received. The responses to this posting are the only way I have received information regarding this. I have some questions for ICEA. Some of these have been answer by some board members who support the WHO code. You know who you are. I would like as much information as possible from as many of you as possible. 1. My biggest question is how did this happen? I assume that this was a very large project. This is not something that could of happened without board approval. When was this project first discussed? The videos and magazine are a huge project. Someone must of worked on it. They must of had direction from the board. If they didn't, this must violate the by-laws in some way. The "in power" people didn't just show up one day with these resources and that was it, did they? Help me understand the process that led to the production of these materials. Did the board vote? Did the board know who the sponsors would be? If they did, how did it go through? 2. I would like to know what board members are in favor of these resources being offered to the public or ICEA member? Who is not in favor of these resources and your reasons? 3. I understand you have lost some valuable consultants over this issue. How many have resigned? 4. How much did the sponsors pay ICEA to produce these resources? How much of members money is going to these? Who signed the contract? Is there a way out of the contract? Does the contract obligate ICEA to distribute these or give their mailing list for distribution? ICEA has in their advertiser guidelines, that WHO code violation would disqualify anyone from using the mailing list or advertising with ICEA. Yet ICEA has in their journal and nice ad for the new videos and magazine. How Does that happen? 5. Is it possible that international speakers that support the WHO Code would refuse to speak at the ICEA conferences over this??? 6. Is it possible that resources on the internet would remove ICEA as a link because they support the WHO code??? 7. Is it possible that the same people that support the Nestle boycott could do the same with ICEA??? I am very concerned with this issue. Please get back to me. Kim Etherington, ICCE(?), CD(DONA *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html