Two years ago in the post-mastectomy breast prosthetic business community in
California, Kaiser insurance forced independent women owned businesses such
as ours to sign a contract limiting Kaiser breast cancer patients choices
because of Kaisers own financial contract (possibly with a kickback) with an
international prosthetic manufacturer.  

 

Store owners had to sign, otherwise they would lose Kaiser patient access by
no referrals and they are a huge insurer in the state. The lawyer the
protesting prosthetic group retained said Kaiser knew our
vulnerability----that women in our business love helping other women so much
that WE WOULD DO THIS WORK FOR FREE.

 

In a similar context, the last time she posted, I emailed Valerie McClain
regarding the patenting of human milk components:

 

Kind, caring people such as LC's who also would do their work for free if
they were not paid, do not see that others in industry are making huge
amounts of money with the knowledge of exactly what a miracle product
breastmilk is both in the lab and in the human body.  

 

I worry that in the end mothers will be banned from doing with their milk
what industry has in mind to do with it, even as far as donating breastmilk
or using it as medicine.

Judy Ritchie

 

Valerie's post:

One thousand patents and pending patents on human milk components owned by
the infant formula and pharmaceutical industries and educational and
governmental institutions.  I believe this issue is one of the more critical
issues that the breastfeeding community needs to address.  

 

Patenting is about secrecy, about keeping the competition from knowing what
you are doing.  

Its about owning, buying and selling.

 


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