Carol says:  >Frankly, I'd rather see more support for working bf mothers,
including
judicious use of bottles, than trying to ignore the whole idea. It's a shame
the Code can't find a way to "draw the line" a little less conservatively,
to give credit to companies like J & J who really aren't trying to undermine
bf.<

The Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes does not make any moral
judgement on any company manufacturing bottles and teats -- it makes a
judgement as to what marketing techniques are ethical.  Any company which
follows the Code (and subsquent Resolutions -- though there has been little
coverage of bottles and teats in the resolutions) has nothing to 'fear' from
the Code, and can be satisfied to be Code compliant.

If you read the Resolutions (please, everybody, read the Resolutions!!!!)
you will see that in 1992 the Resolution (WHA.45.34) urged member states
(which included the USA, although they had, at this point, not yet endorsed
the original Code) to give full expression to the Innocenti Declaration,
which includes enacting imaginative (this was the word in Innocenti, not in
Resolution) legislation to protect the breastfeeding rights of working
women, with mechanisms of enforcement.

The 2001 Resolution (WHA 54.2) urges member states to reach national
consensus on strategies and polices, in collaboration with ILO, that support
breastfeeding by working women.   [See WABA website for more on ILO and
campaign to support working women with breastfeeding.]

If we would all *use* these instruments which WHO keeps providing us with,
and *lobbied for full and whole-hearted implementation of the Code and
Resolutions* in our countries and regions, we would not have to rely on
working with any individual company to acheive good things for women and for
babies.  If you look around on the IBFAN website you will see the concerns
of IBFAN on the role of companies in the WHO decision making process (this
is also well discussed in Judith Richter's book).  As volunteers and
porfessionals, it behooves us to think carefully about whether we want to
lobby alongside companies or whether we want to preserve a unique
independent voice for women and babies.

>I realize that there are many of you out there (especially those who do NOT
know me or my passion for bf) who feel we should never "taint" our
professional or personal associations with any company that is not 100% in
alignment with bf. <

Actually, my organisation takes a different stance -- that we (breastfeeding
supporters, volunteer and professional) -- should not have personal or
professional associations with companies who have an interest in the
outcomes of women's infant feeding decisions.  We don't take ads from pump
companies, nor do we have pump agents.  We don't have association with
companies which do nipple creams, breast pads, baby foods [after all,
appropriate complimentary feeding and sustained breastfeeding for 2 years is
in the Resolutions].  We advise our workers to carefully consider before
speaking at study events where -- say -- the lunch is paid for by any
company (including those which make products which might be *very useful*
for some breastfeeding mums), and to carefully consider what kind of stalls
may be at a conference before we agree to have our stall there.

Our guiding thought on this is that it is not only important to be
independent, but to be *seen to be independent*.

In this context, I will just comment on my reaction to what Diane said:
>Hooray, Barb!  I hope you'll expand your stonewalling of the formula rep as
an editorial for JHL!<
My first thought:  but JHL is full of adverts for breastfeeding products of
the very type I find worrying in association with breastfeeding support
professionals and volunteers.  Over the last few years it seems to have
become more and more like this.  Can we have a meaningful discussion in that
journal???????  [I have further thoughts on this, but decided this post is
too long already.]

Magda Sachs
Breastfeeding Supporter, BfN, UK

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