>Interesting discussions about the provision of free formula in the 
>WIC system in the US and Healthy Start in the UK.
>
>I have to say that I loathe the idea of any mother anywhere being 
>helped to formula-feed her baby unless it is for a case of real 
>medical need - ie she doesn't lactate.  I find it really hard to 
>understand how when a mother chooses not to breastfeed it should 
>follow that the government "let" her baby starve.  What happened to 
>the mother's responsibility to feed her child?  More importantly, 
>what happened to the duty of care that a government has to enact a 
>health policy designed to protect public' health, including to 
>ensure, as far as possible, that a mother receives every assistance 
>to breastfeed.

I agree, Pamela, that the duty of care a government  has to proper 
public health and support/assistance to breastfeed  is a  'more 
important' question than the responsibility of the mother to feed her 
child.

Good public health and socialised care should replace this 
responsibility when it's not enacted (for whatever reason), and 
supports and enables the responsibility to flourish in all 
circumstances.

In practice, I don't distinguish between the mother who cannot 
breastfeed because of 'real medical need'  and the mother who cannot 
breastfeed because  of major social, emotional, psychological 
reasons....or even not major ones!  Reasons which we think of as 
minor,  or even trivial,   act as real barriers in the absence of  a 
social acceptance and expecation of breastfeeding, and a public 
health programme  that makes it an enjoyable 'choice' supported by 
knowledgable help for problems.

In  the meantime,  government help (in the form of vouchers) in the 
UK which give an option of free formula is a political and social 
necessity. I say 'political' because if this option was removed, it 
would cause resentment and outcry out of all proportion to the effect 
on babies or the social acceptability of breastfeeding.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK

             ***********************************************

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