Again, this is a legnthy message. Skip if you do not wish to read.
Lee Ann Deal did an excellent soft sell. She received a polite hand.
David Dixon was more hard-hitting, asking two questions, neither of which
was answered well. He was able to get in licks by continuing to question
why A-R has said (quoted) that they would not advertise to mothesr
directly, and that they do so via tv ads and their "Welcome Addition Club."
Answer: we get their names through doctors offices (as if that take s them
off the hook!)
He got a promise that A-R would reply (only company that has not) to ACTION
letter re: their response to documented violations throughout the world.
Leader of meeting claimed never to have received letter. (If you believe
that, I know of a great bridge in need of a river.)
I was next. Below is the text of what I said. Additions are in []s.
[I spoke for myself and no one else. That was made clear in my introduction
of who I was.]
"Abbott claims to abide by the WHO Code. This is not true. A-R has racked
up no fewer than six classes of violations. For a company that purports to
be concerned with the health of the peoples of the world, that is
unconscionable.
Why is this company not willing to accept the notion that ehtical marketing
and the profit margin can occur at the same time?
Numerous instances of six different violations throughout the world
including the US are not idnicative of adherence to the WHO code. A recent
example is television ads for a folowo-up formula. These ads sell
artificial baby milk for toddlers and also metnion the same braend which is
given to babies. For years, A-R has asured stockholders and health care
profesisonals that it would not stoop to market directly to potential
consumers. These television commercials do just that.
Another violation of theWHO Code is Abott's continuing practice of sending
cases of artificial baby milk to mothers who have never asked for it. Most
of these women plan to breastfeed their babies. Sending unsolicted products
to mothers is a violation of the WHO Code.
I have watched babies for many many years. If they could choose, their
choice would be breastmilk. If you question that statement, pick up a can
of artificial baby milk. [Perhaps the directors could get you a free one.]
Smell it. Taste it. [People started hissing.] I doubt that you would want
to drink it as your sole food for many weeks, particularly if you could get
something else that was a lot sweet, had no after taste, and did not
consist of a cocktail of cow juice and a cheap, industrial oil. [At least
one director was frowning, a hum of discomfort emerged from the audience.]
The WHO Code does NOT prohibit the sale or marketing of artificial baby
milk. It simply asks that such advertising be done in an ethical, honest,
straightforward, and scientifically accurate manner. The Abbott Board of
Directors tells you that your company abides by the WHO Code. Clearly, it
does not. I urge the stockholders of this comopany to insist that its
directors require Abbott marketing practices to come into line with the WHO
Code. You can do this by voting for the resolution next year. (I had to add
"next year" because it was defeated this year.)
Polite applause followed by David's words and mine. As I left the mike, a
gentleman touched my arm and said, "good for you." When I asked him if he
knew why we had not been allowed to speak before the vote, he said, "That
is the Abbott way." I doubt we would hzve been asllowed to do that even had
we asked, which all three of us were assured would happen when we raised
the issue at the mike. Who knows what will happen next yar?
After we sat down, others got up and spoke to other issues, and then a
woman rose (she was seated by Leann Deal, who said she started to mutter in
the middle of my presentation) and she rose and said, "Don't women have the
brains to know what they want to do?" She got a bigger hand than the rest
of us put together. At that time, a man sitting behind us hit David in the
head. When David turned and asked him waht that was for, the man threatened
to beat him up in the parking lot. As we were walking out, a woman
approached me with death in her eyes. She proceeded to attack me verbally
and ended by saying her baby had been bottle-fed from birth and now had a
masters degree. (I have to apologize for losing my cool. I retorted:
"Think how much smarter he might have been had he been breastfed," and I
turned on my heel and left her standing there. Again, my apologies.
Anyeay, David was escorted out by security guards when he reported the
incident with the head knocking. I feared after that that my car would not
be safe, for it has two bumper sticks on the back bumper that clearly
identified me as in the breastfeeding camp. One says :affordable heatlh
care begins with breatsfeeding; the other says breastmilk is brain food.
My car was fine.
My spirit is not. Perhpas in a few days, I will feel better about people
and life. I certainly am less inclined than before to support corporate
culture by purchasing stocks. (On the other hadn, any one I've ever
purchased has declined in value. Perhaps I OUGHT to buy their stock and
see if that happens again!)
:-)
Thank you for reading all this.
PS I took great delight in throwing all the freebies given, including the
zipper bag given to each stockholder who attended, into the trash.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%% "We are all faced with a series of great %%
%% opportunities brilliantly disguised as %%
%% impossible situations" - definition of a %%
%% lactation consulting service. %%
%% Kathleen G. Auerbach, PhD, IBCLC %%
%% [log in to unmask] Homewood, Illinois USA %%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|