In a message dated 96-06-30 23:42:25 EDT, you write:

>Our Local Breastfeeding coalition wants to put a series of articles in the
>paper for World Breastfeeding Week and we need advise about the legal
>ramifications of printing the negative hazards of formula feeding.  Are
there
>any?  Should we run the article past anyone before submitting it?

I think you have little to worry about as long as you do not mention any
formula brand name product.  If you make the comparison for BMS (breast milk
substitutes) it is impossible if you are refering to commercial infant
formula, cows milk, goat milk, etc, etc. If you stick with the citations of
published studies you also have another layer of protection because you are
only repeating what others have published.  Keep in mind you are not actively
proclaiming the "badness"of BMS, you are pointing out the advantages of
Breast Milk.

Unless you have a formula company in your community it is unlikely that the
big bad formula companies would bother with your promotion activities.  Keep
in mind they would have to demonstrate that they have been materially harmed
in someway and they would also open themselves up to further discussion of
the facts.  That's something that they would like to avoid because they don't
have control of the situation in a court room.  They risk losing their cuddly
baby image if they attack other baby advocates.

I'm not a lawyer but I try to follow legal theory and precidents.

Jon Ahrendsen MD, FAAFP, LLLI Medical Associate
215 13th Ave. SW, Clarion, IA 50525, USA
(515)-532-2836  Fax (515)-532-2523
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