10-11-97 AXA / Equitable: A fellow mediawatcher told me of your tv ad with a boy growing up, all through the ages, and your logo showing in all the scenes. I wonder if you would consider changing the scene of the little boy in the nursery being bottlefed by his father (with your logo on the bottle), to a scene of the father watching the mother breastfeed their baby? You may not realize that artificial (formula) feeding carries much greater health risks for infants, children, and even their mothers. You may think that the breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding decision is a choice that each mother must make for herself, and that you would not want to take a stand on such issues. However, by placing baby feeding bottles in your ads, you are in fact promoting the artificial feeding method. The feeding bottle as a symbol for babies is very pervasive in the media. I would like to see that changed. Think about it - this symbolism does send a message to consumers, just as cigarettes or alcohol in an ad for another product (such as a car) can be construed as promoting the use of cigarettes or alcohol. By the way, cigarettes and alcohol are legal, but carry many, many health risks. The same can be said for artificial feeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and many other health organizations actively promote breastfeeding - including to 2 years and beyond - because it is recognized as the optimum way to feed human infants. The Healthy People 2000 goals for our nation include increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration. Therefore, I would love to see breastfeeding depicted in all media as the normal and natural way to feed babies and ask that you consider this in future advertising. Sincerely, Laurie Wheeler, RNC, MN, IBCLC Louisiana Breastfeeding MediaWatch Campaign Violet LA 70092 [log in to unmask] Note: The Louisiana Breastfeeding MediaWatch Campaign is part of the National Breastfeeding MediaWatch Campaign, sponsored by the Texas Dept of Health, an ongoing project of the Bureau of Clinical and Nutrition Services. For more information, contact Ms. Laurie Coker, Breastfeeding Promotion Specialist, at (512) 406-0744.