A new letter is on the website from IBLCE Board, clarifying what they have
approved - and what decisions are still to be made...
____________________________________________________________________________
___
Statement from the Board regarding its decision to resume approval of CERPs
for
educational sessions funded or sponsored by Medela

The IBLCE Board of Directors is concerned that its desire to look, in depth,
at the entire issue of
approving CERPs for education funded or sponsored by any commercial vendor
has been lost in
the concurrent decision to permit CERPs to be awarded, for the time being,
to educational
sessions funded or sponsored by Medela, Inc.

Recently, Medela's marketing practices have been deemed not to be in
compliance with the
International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. As noted in the
IBLCE statement
dated March 30
http://www.iblce.org/documentsNEW/Medela_publicStatement_03.30.pdf,
IBLCE continues to monitor Medela's marketing practices. The Board has been
weighing the
information about Medela's marketing practices as judiciously and quickly as
possible and is
attempting to be clear and measured in its response.

IBLCE has an over-all duty, under its by-laws and CERPs provider
requirements, to support the
International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and all
subsequent relevant World
Health Assembly resolutions. Many programs that were under review for CERPs
approval and
many that are already planned include programs sponsored or funded by
Medela. Due to the
financial ramifications for many individual IBCLCs and continuing education
providers, the
IBLCE Board could not make a final decision on this issue without more
extensive review and
created a task force at the March Board meeting for this purpose.

IBLCE has communicated its intent to the ILCA Board of Directors and
welcomes input on the
issue of commercial sponsorship of CERPs as it continues to review this
issue.

April 7, 2009
____________________________________________________________________________
________________
In my opinion:

Medela has stated in their website:
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/assets/File/Addendum%20-%20Medela%20Pos
ition%20on%20Marketing%20of%20Breastmilk%20Feeding%20Products%20to%20Mothers
%20FINAL%20021109.pdf 

...that they have no INTENT to change their current marketing practices.  So
it is up to the Lactation Community (INFACT/IBFAN - NABA/WABA???) to decide
whether these practices violate the Code or not, and what are the
consequences - and if they are willing to live with them!

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, PHN, IBCLC
California, USA

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