Dear Pat,

Re: Your post about the WIC (NAWD) newsletter supported by Mead Johnson

It is important to remember that the WHO Code is an international standard.
Nobody has to follow it unless their own nation has adopted it as part of
national legislation or regulations.  Since the U.S. has made no move to
adopt the Code as national law or regulations, no one in the U.S. is oligated
to follow it.  We breastfeeding advocates can follow the Code as part of our
personal ethics, but that is simply our own business, our own choice.

Strictly speaking, funding for a newsletter probably is OK under section 6.8
of the Code, which allows equipment and materials to be donated to a health
care system as long as no product within the scope of the Code is mentioned.
The company's name and logo may appear on the donated item.

This doesn't mean we should ignore Code issues.  Even though no one HAS to
follow the Code in the U.S., we can claim the high moral ground by being very
cautious about accepting anything from companies that violate the Code in
other countries where it is part of local law.  It's the same principle as
the Nestle boycott.  Technically, Nestle may not be doing anything illegal
when they advertise their infant formula on television and give free samples
to pregnant women and new mothers in the U.S., or when they pitch follow-on
milks for 6-month old babies and unnecessary "mothers' formulas" to pregnant
and nursing mothers in the Philippines, but we can express our disapproval by
exercising our free choice not to buy their products.  And certainly we don't
have to accept any freebies from Nestle reps in our workplaces.

I once wrote to WIC at the state level to register my concern about a
suggestion that had been made to ask a bottle manufacturer for financial
support of a WIC project.  In the U.S., this company advertises its product
directly to consumers, which undermines breastfeeding and is contrary to the
Code (although perfectly legal in the U.S.).  I had also heard (but was not
able to verify) that the same company had sued the government of India
because India DID pass a law adopting the Code, which made promotion direct
to the consumer illegal in India.  I don't remember getting an answer back
from WIC, but in the end they didn't ask that company for funding.

So by all means write those letters!  But know what grounds you have for your
criticism.  It's always perfectly fine to express your concern or to disagree
with a decision or a policy.  And lots of policy-makers have no clue about
the Code, so it becomes our job to explain about it.  Over and over.

Anyone who doesn't own a copy of the Code can get it (complete with
subsequent resolutions of the WHA) from Infact Canada for a small fee.  It's
not sexy reading, but it's basic info for breastfeeding advocates.

Keep up the good work.
Chris Mulford, RN, IBCLC
living in PA, working for WIC in South Jersey

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html