The below letter was sent in response to the article written by Frank
Furedi, a professor of Sociology in the United Kingdom.  I thought you would
be interested.  Unfortunately, I received an automatic response indicating
he would be away until July 23.  If I do not receive a personal response
shortly after that date, I will e-mail him again.  It seems appropriate to
flood him with another point of view.   Lee

 

 

  _____  

From: Lee Galasso [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 8:34 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: 'Lee Galasso'
Subject: "Not breastfeeding" is not the best choice

 

Dear Frank,

 

I read your opinion on equating promoting breastfeeding with promoting
guilt; I was amazed that a person who is supposed to be intelligent and
capable of logical thinking could be so uninformed or narrow-minded.

 

Although you admit knowing that breastfeeding offers a multitude of benefits
to the breastfeeding children and their mothers, you go on to support the
decisions of the mothers to choose, out of ignorance, not to breastfeed.  It
is similar to supporting the decision to not use car seats to protect the
lives and health of children riding in a car; similar to supporting people
who want to smoke, etc.  Yes, those people have the freedom to make choices
that are detrimental to their children or themselves, but they also have a
need to be told what the facts are so that they can make a truly informed
decision.  It is paternalistic to withhold that information from them for
fear that it would make them feel guilty.  No one can MAKE another feel
guilty; guilt is a result of knowing the facts and STILL choosing what is a
poor choice or the worst choice.  When cardiologists warn their patients
that cigarette smoking can cause heart disease or lung cancer, do you think
they should stop telling them?  Do you think an obstetrician should not tell
women that illicit drug use or poor nutrition during pregnancy can harm
their babies?  What of hospitals that will not discharge newborns unless the
parents have an approved car seat for the ride home?  Should the healthcare
providers stop making these people feel guilty?

 

Knowing the risks of not breastfeeding is important for parents to know
because they are making the decision for the children; unfortunately, the
children are not able to make that choice for themselves.  If children could
make that choice, surely you know that they would not choose formula, a
substance that is hazardous to their lives and health.  Globally, millions
of children die every year because they are not breastfed, and many millions
more suffer illnesses/diseases for the same reason.  Do women have the right
to choose to do that without feeling guilty?  Many women make that choice
even though they know the benefits of breastfeeding, just as you do, but
they do not realize the hazards of feeding formula, just as you do not
realize how horrible that choice is.  Being ignorant is not an excuse for
you; you know better.  Being ignorant is not what you should want for the
mothers.  Ignorance is a reason why mothers often make a poor choice or the
worst choice when it comes to feeding their babies; but we who work to
educate women on this topic want them to make a well-informed decision.  We
try not to feel upset when we have done our best but the women still make
the worst choice possible.  We do get upset when a person of your position
misuses that position to harm, rather than help, babies.

 

Are you willing to change your stance, retract your previous statements, and
declare that women have a right to know about, and babies have a right to be
protected from, the risks of not breastfeeding?  I can only hope so and look
forward to reading that you have.

 

Sincerely,

Lee Galasso, MS, IBCLC, RLC

Lactation Specialist

Westchester County, NY State, USA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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