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>I have written about warning labels on formula in my chapter "Beauty and
the Breast," and thought you might like to read that section. I'm
attempting to send it as an attachment to this e-mail, called "Imagine."
You may see it on you screen as part of this message, or you may have had to
put it in a file somewhere in order to read it through your word processing
program. Hope it works! I'd love to hear reactions. The next section of
the chapter goes on to talk about how we can make these imaginings a reality.
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In the not too distant future, I can imagine a day when a young couple enters a restaurant with an infant or young child, and notes the sign on the front door: "This is a Breastfeeding Friendly Establishment." I can imagine a day when all fifty states have legislation guaranteeing a mother's right to breastfeed her child in public. I can imagine a day when all cans of infant formula carry a series of rotating warning labels from the Surgeon General that clearly state: "Use of infant formula may be hazardous to your infant's health. Infant formula is known to be a contributing factor in many cases of infant illness and death, including cancer and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The use of infant formula is known to reduce children's IQ as much as lead poisoning does, and hinders the development of strong affective bonds between mother and child." I can imagine a day when parents would have to sign a release when they buy infant formula, relieving the formula company of re!
sponsi
bility for causing higher rates of infant morbidity and mortality.12 I can imagine a day when heavy taxes are levied on the sale of every can of infant formula, both to discourage its use and to help offset the enormous medical costs incurred by those who use it. I can imagine a day when insurance companies charge higher life-long premiums for health care coverage of bottle-fed children. I can imagine a day when all pregnant women are fully informed of the costs of bottle-feeding, in terms of both their own health, and their children's health. I can imagine a day when doctors no longer worry about "making mothers feel guilty for choosing not to breastfeed," any more than they worry today about "making mothers feel guilty for choosing not to use an infant car seat." I can imagine a day when women who work outside the home can take their children to work with them; a day when every employer has on-site child care, and women can have their children with them as they work, !
or can
go to a nearby location to breastfeed their children as often as they like. I can imagine a day when women in the United States can choose to take a year or more of maternity/nursing leave, with a guarantee that their job will be waiting for them when they return. On good days, I can even imagine that this maternity/nursing leave will be paid leave, as it is already in some European countries! I can imagine a day when children are so used to seeing women nursing their children in public, including at work, that they just assume that's the way things have always been. I can imagine a day when movies, television shows, and children's books portray mothers, including non-human animal mothers, nursing their children as a matter of course, instead of giving them bottles.13 I can imagine a day when anthropology students will learn about "the great breast implant debacle of the late 20th century" as yet another example, along with Chinese foot-binding and female genital mutil!
ation, of cultural beliefs gone astray to the detriment of women
and children. I can imagine a day when children grow up appreciating women's breasts for the wondrous, amazing, life-sustaining organs that they are. I can imagine a day when all the world's children, including those in the United States, start out breastfeeding, and are allowed to breastfeed for as long as they need. Eventually, I can imagine a day when the only children who are bottle-fed are those who were adopted, or whose mothers had had mastectomies.
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Katherine A. Dettwyler email:
[log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX 77843-4352
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