Susan and friends,

I've been a member of PETA and a vegetarian for over 18 years.  Please
understand where they are coming from.  Yes, they advocate for a vegan diet
(and breastfeeding) because these practices are healthier and environmentally
friendly, but PRIMARILY they want to save the lives and minimize the
suffering of animals (as do I).  They are a "can do" group that has had many
successes.  That they champion breastfeeding may be a very good thing.
However, they are also capable of alienating a lot of people.  Even I was
infuriated with their initial "milksucks" campaign, where they advocated that
college students drink beer instead of milk. Fortunately they dropped those
ads within days.  They DID get people talking about many issues, such as the
influence of the dairy board, the possible health ramifications of dairy
consumption, school lunch programs, the treatment of dairy cows (which has
continued on Lactnet this past week), et cetera.  Lively debate is often
PETA's goal!

I saw a few things I'd like to correct (for example, hepatitis B infection is
not a contraindication after treatment of the infant), and I think they
should mention LLLI and ILCA as organizations that support breastfeeding :-).
 I'll send PETA an email to that effect ASAP.  On the whole, however, I think
the website is excellent, and their positive breastfeeding message will reach
those many young people in the United States who care about animals.

Warm regards,
Kim

Kim Block RN, MSN, IBCLC
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