Gonneke you wrote, "But. It is not hte AIF industrie that is to blame when mothers look for alternatives to breastfeeding. Throughout history there is evidence that women who could afford it would feed their children in other ways or make other women breastfeed their children." Yes, throughout history there have been women who have rejected breastfeeding. Yet I hope you will reconsider your statement that it is not the AIF industry that is to blame when mothers look for alternatives to breastfeeding. This statement seems to be excusing all the behavior that has gone on in developing countries and continues to this day in subverting breastfeeding. (and not just in developing countries..around the world) It excuses the Enfamil crib cards I just saw at my local hospital this past weekend. [I have yet to see Marlboro cards on the bedside of patients in the hospital.] It excuses the tons of free infant formula and coupons that moms get in the US. It excuses the infant formula's patenting and ownership of human milk components. I think if we look at the history of infant formula, this industry is not driven by market forces. Rather it creates the market, the need. It does this by appealing to "gender" issues--the liberation of women from their biology. It questions the safety of human milk (human milk as infectious and toxic) while downplaying their own safety record. It presents breastfeeding as difficult, time-consuming, and primitive. While formula feeding is easy, time-freeing, and modern. Should we fault women for buying into this media production..even the FDA says, "Infant formula: Second Best but Good Enough." Sounds like a Nestle commercial to me. A woman believes Nestle and or the FDA and some breastfeeding advocates think she is ignorant or selfish. I don't think it has anything to do with ignorance or selfishness...just simply the social marketing of a product. Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC *********************************************** 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