This is for U.S. members, with apologies to others...but the topic is of
general interest!
If you live in the U.S.A., am inviting you to take a simple action to
support mothers and babies in the Philippines.
At the La Leche League International Conference in Chicago last weekend,
there was a lot of interest in the reports by breastfeeding advocates from
the Philippines. They told about their government's efforts over that last
two years to get stronger regulations passed to implement their "Milk Code."
The Philippines "Milk Code," a 1986 law based on the International Code, has
not been well enforced, so these revised regulations are needed.
The baby milk industry (which is mostly U.S. pharmaceutical companies) has
fought these efforts at every step of the revision process.
Members of the Philippines advocacy team used their visit to the U.S.A. to
raise international support for their efforts. They even visited Senator
Edward Kennedy's office in Washington and talked to his health staff.
Remember that it was Senator Kennedy who held hearings in 1979 that exposed
unethical marketing practices in third world countries. These hearings
helped pave the way for WHA to pass the International Code.
I have drafted a short letter asking Senator Kennedy to investigate the
attempts of U.S. business interests to influence the health regulations in
the Philippines. I am sending it to Senator Kennedy, with copies to my U.S.
Senators and Representative.
I invite you to do the same. You can email your Representative at
http://www.house.gov/writerep/ and your Senator at
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Here is a cover letter I have written for my Senators and Representative.
You are welcome to use mine, or even better, write one of your own-similar,
but not identical.
In solidarity,
Chris Mulford
<<Dear [Senator or Representative] ______,
As a breastfeeding advocate for over 35 years, I would like to call your
attention to the situation in the Philippines. U.S. business interests
appear to be going all-out to keep the government from regulating the
marketing of baby food products under the national "Milk Code." Babies
everywhere lose out in health and well-being when they are not breastfed,
and the effect is worst in conditions of poverty and poor sanitation.
I have asked Senator Kennedy to investigate. I hope you will support this
request.>>
NOW, here is a model letter for Senator Kennedy:
<<Dear Senator Kennedy:
Because of your record in the 1970s of protecting breastfeeding mothers and
their babies against the unrestrained and unethical marketing of baby milk
and baby foods, I am writing to ask your support again, this time on behalf
of mothers and children in the Philippines.
The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) has moved to strengthen the 1986
national law (EO51, the "Milk Code") that implements the International Code
of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. After a two-year revision process,
during which some accommodations were made in response to objections voiced
by the baby milk industry, revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR)
were signed at the DOH in May, 2006. However, the new IRR were soon blocked
when industry requested a temporary restraining order from the Philippines
Supreme Court. The results of a Supreme Court hearing on the issue in June
2007 are due to be announced soon.
UNICEF Philippines, local and international media, and breastfeeding
advocates* have reported in detail about this issue. They say that pressures
from business interests to block the IRR have been applied at various levels
of the Philippines government, including a personal letter from Thomas J.
Donohue, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to the President of the
Philippines. Donohue's letter objects to the action by the DOH, saying that
it could affect foreign investors' confidence in the Philippines as a place
to do business, and asks the President to reconsider the IRR in this light.
I question the degree of pressure that U.S. business interests appear to be
using to influence the government of another country to regulate health
matters for its own people. Even the formula makers agree that breastfeeding
provides the best nutrition and health protection for babies and young
children. It should therefore be obvious to them that when there is more
breastfeeding, there will be less formula feeding . . . a result that has
been shown to improve the health and survival of young children.
Senator Kennedy, I hope that you will once again take the lead. Help the
public find out whether and how U.S. business has been acting to prevent the
government of the Philippines from protecting the health and well-being of
its youngest citizens by implementing their own Milk Code.
Yours truly,
Chris Mulford, RN, IBCLC
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
610-328-4134
* http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0622/p05s01-woap.html
* http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IG25Ae02.html
* http://www.unicef.org/philippines/news/061101.html
* http://archive.inquirer.net/view.php?db=1&story_id=72225
END OF LETTER
Chris Mulford, RN, IBCLC
LLL Leader Reserve
Working for WIC in South Jersey (Eastern USA)
Chair, Workplace Bf Support Committee, USBC
Co-coordinator, Women & Work Task Force, WABA
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