There is positively no doubt that there are many truly selfless people, 
including Barbara Wilson Clay,  who are working to overcome the prejudice against 
using human milk to feed medically fragile infants.  Those efforts should be 
recognized and honored.  Yet, I believe that we also need to recognize that 
there are some very troubling issues surfacing because of human milk research and 
the resultant commercialization of its unique properties.

One of the guiding values of the Mothers Milk Bank at Austin (listed 3rd of 
about 10 values in their mission statement) is, "We believe in research to 
enhance the knowledge of human donor milk benefits."  So the question is how much 
of the donor milk goes to research and how much to fragile infants and adults 
with serious medical conditions?  How much to foster orphaned animals and 
directed to what institutions?  What institutions and researchers get human donor 
milk?  I think all human milk banks should provide this information.  If they 
are not selling or giving donor milk to researchers that should be stated.  

  One of the sponsors of the Mothers Milk Bank at Austin was Dannon.  Dannon 
or Groupe Dannone is an infant formula company.  The explanation for the 
sponsorship was that no one realized that Dannon was an infant formula company.  
This sponsorship was on the Mother's MIlk Bank at Austin website for many, many 
months after it was pointed out to them that Groupe Dannone is the parent 
company of Dannon.   It was finally taken down a few months ago.  Clicking on this 
particular sponsor, Dannon, at the Mothers Milk Bank at Austin's website, 
brought you instantly to the website of Dannon advertising its products.  The are 
several troubling aspects to this situation.  This sponsorship leads to 
questions such as, "Was Dannon or a human milk researcher associated with Dannon 
ever a recipient of donor milk from this milk bank?"  

I do not wish to discredit the work of the non-profit milk banking system in 
regard to providing milk for infants and adults.  On the other hand, with 1000 
human milk component patents and climbing, certain questions have to be asked 
regarding milk banking.  I  find the public silence in regard to this issue 
troubling. Who owns human milk components? As it looks now, various human milk 
researchers have sold the gene constructs of these components to--the infant 
formula, pharmaceutical, US Department of Health, dairy, and supplement 
industries.  (I consider the US Department of Health an industry since it owns 
patents and gets kick backs from the pharmacetical industry).  The monopolizing of 
human milk components and gene constructs by industries creates enormous 
ethical and moral dilemmas for us all.  Are human milk banks supportive of the 
patenting of human milk components and its gene constructs?  And, if they are 
opposed to it, what are they doing about it to circumvent this problem?  I have 
suggested that mothers who are concerned about this issue request that their 
donated milk only be used for infants and adults in need.  And if that request 
cannot be honored for whatever reason, then  mothers should not donate at all.  I 
also think a world-wide boycott of milk banking might be the only option 
left, if milk banks fail to address this issue publicly.
Valerie W. McClain, breastfeeding advocate

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