KD wrote: > But don't go around >fear-mongering and assuming that all genetically modified foods are >dangerous and horrible, or that all the researchers who work on these >issues are greedy bastards out to kill children while they laugh their way >to the bank. Many, if not most, of these researchers are interested in >reducing world hunger and improving the health of children. Huh? I doubt there's even one researcher who's a greedy bastard out to kill children. Dispensing with rhetorical hyperbole, though, I think *researchers* into formula milk probably have a range of motives, like anyone doing any sort of job, and some of them will indeed be concerned with reducing world hunger and improving the health of children. I don't have an issue with research. It's the coroporate interests in the whole thing that bother me. The history of formula milk production and marketing is not a good one - we'd be crazy to think the health of mothers and babies would be put first (that is, before profits) with any 'new' invention. >As much as I >support breastfeeding, I also realize that lots of children are going to be >bottle-fed, no matter what we do, and I want them to have the best possible >chance in life. Me too. I am not especially worried about the principle of synthesising human milk, any more than I would be about the principle of synthesising blood, or cerebral fluid, or lymph, if any of that were possible. Babies who aren't breastfed need the very best substitute. The research (and the money) is not going towards a milk-bank-on-every-corner of course, but on hugely expensive work to replicate what every mother makes - and I think that is wasteful in terms of money and effort . But even with a milk-bank-on-every-corner, there could, conceivably, be a genuine need for synthetic human milk and if babies need it, then they should have it. However, in our current political and economic circumstances, the risk of the research into synthesising it using GM technology is three-fold: 1. We do not know if this technology will have undoable serious health effects on this generation and future ones 2. We cannot trust corporate interests to investigate the potential of these effects - indeed, the history of their behaviour shows they will go to great lengths to deny them 3. The marketing of any synthesised human milk is likely to be mendacious and undermining to women and to breastfeeding Heather Welford Neil NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK *********************************************** 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