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>Really good discussion. No need to cut and paste using www.TinyUrl.com
>Judy Ritchie
>
>
>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/08/31/DI2007083
>100337.html
>
>http://tinyurl.com/3dfacp
Thanks - very interesting, indeed.
Depressingly, the *same arguments* have come up in the UK in response
to the current campaign (fronted by leading child health
organisations and advocacy groups) to uphold and strengthen the
restrictions on the promotion of formula.
All the arguments are pretty easily torn down, and they include:
* that mothers who do not breastfeed may feel guilty (on the face of
it, it is not logical - why would simply not seeing an ad for
formula milk make someone feel guilty for using it? But in fact there
is a logic there, because the very presence of formula milk promotion
*affirms* its use and normalises it)
* the very campaign to restrict promotion makes women feel guilty
* a legal product should have no restrictions on its promotion (a
free market philosophy which over-rides public health considerations)
* women are not dupes and can see through advertising, making their
decisions on the basis of what is right for them, not on what they
see in ads
* there is hardly any difference between breastmilk and formula milk
anyway....
*....and even if there is, we should not mention it (back to the
guilt thing again)
* the government have no role to play in telling women 'what to do
with their breasts'
* some women have a terrible time breastfeeding and formula is a
life-saver to their babies
* it's all a diversion from the real issues of maternity leave,
flexible employment and lack of good bf support
Sometimes, the response to these arguments was good, but I would have
liked to see a more robust counter-argument throughout.
Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
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