Hi Jane - and all Yes, the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is entwined with American politics. You can read about this in Gabrielle Palmer's book, The Politics of Breastfeeding; Maureen Minchin's Breastfeeding Matters; Judith Richter's Holding Corporations Accountable or The Breastfeeding Movement: A source book (which contains many interesting primary and secondary source materials). Before commenting on the value of or the application of the Code, it would be wise to read it and one of the above references that will help to unpack it's global significance. In summary, the Code was developed during the Democratic Carter administration. The participation of the American delegates to the World Health Assembly seems to have been instrumental in bringing about a Code that could actually be ratified. Just as the final vote on the Code was to be taken, there was an election in the USA and President Carter's Democratic administration was deposed by the Republican Reagan administration. The new administration instructed the US WHA delegates to vote against the Code at the Assembly meeting. They did as they were instructed and then resigned their positions in protest. (The Reagan administration then allowed infant formula manufacturing companies to sell out-of-date product outside of America.) Since 1981, the US has voted in favour of several subsequent resolutions relating to the Code. This is widely taken to be assent to the original Code. Yet subsequent administrations fail to make any attempt to give effect to the Code. The question of why subsequent US governments stubbornly refuse to act to restrict the aggressive marketing of infant feeding products is both complex and remarkably simple. Successive US governments have been persuaded that this is a first amendment (free speech) issue. Access to legislators by lobbyists for the infant formula industry (and agricultural industry) is unfettered. Successive governments have placed the desires of industry, the ideology of the free market and the almighty greenback before public health. America is not the only place where this happens. However America is the only country on the planet that positions itself as the leader of the 'free' world. This is not about the US refusing to be told what to do by other (inferior?) countries. This is about the close relationship between industry and government in the US. This is about the US stubbornly refusing to put the health of its people before the profits of its multinational corporate interests. Bottom line, the marketing of infant feeding products is immoral and should be eliminated. The Code makes an attempt at creating a starting point for the achievement of that aim. No one should be profiteering from mothers' failures. An ethical company would not advertise, would provide only unadorned scientific and factual information to health professionals about its products and would rely on the quality of the product to sell it only to those who need it. An ethical government would ensure that all companies acted ethically. The reality is that the US does not confine its sphere of influence to american citizens (interference in the Phillipines Milk Code issue is a case in point). What happens in the US affects us all. Best Nina Berry Australia *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome