Whilst I share huge sympathies with your point of view about all the bad 
things about the press release, and bottle and pumping cultures... we 
have to start somewhere.

Few women in the USA even know The Code exists, never mind that the USA 
has both signed it, and utterly ignores it.  The work NABA does in 
documenting Code violations in the USA is both Herculean and largely 
unsung among the nursing mothers in the USA.

Yes, it's a terrible thing when companies write their trash and imply 
that they are needed in order to make a good breastfeeding 
relationship.  However, the truth is that in the USA, many women have to 
pump in order to supply human milk to their babies in daycare, whilst 
they return to work.  Change at the ballot box in order to given such 
mothers maternity pay, is unlikely to happen in the near future - and 
Evenflo becoming Code compliant is not going hinder that one jot.  These 
woman do need to pump and these babies do need to use bottles if they 
are going to receive human milk during the working day.

It's easy for us to sit on the outside, and look at what's NOT being 
done, and ignore what has happened as it's too small in the scheme of 
things to be worthy of much note.  Rome wasn't built in a day, and this 
is a two edged sword.  However, it's the forward looking and progressive 
edge of the sword I'm choosing to look at, not the "you need us to be 
there" side of the publicity machine - which exists _regardless_ of any 
Code complience.

In terms of sending the right signals, and even in terms of letting 
mothers know such a thing as The Code exists, I feel this is A Good 
Thing, and is to be applauded.  Evenflo could have ignored Code and 
trampled straight on.  Instead it engaged in discourse with NABA and 
_tried_.  You can be cynical all you wish to about it's reasoning (and 
I'm there too) but at the end of the day, the message on the street is 
"This Code thing is important." which also brings the mesage "this 
breastfeeding stuff is important."  Do I care that the breastfeeding is 
important in terms of their profit?   Yes, I do... but I also think 
knowledge and awareness of The Code, and willingness to acknowledge its 
importance, is VITAL.

I propagated the info about the Code stuff, as I felt it was important 
to do so.  Some people responded with "That's fantastic" and one woman 
replied with "I hope this means their pumps improve, as they suck."  So 
the mothers out there are not bowled over with joy at this news in terms 
of the service the company provides them... pumping mothers are too 
shrewed for that!  But they were cheered by the fact that somethings are 
starting to change, and the Code means something _even in the USA_.

As I said, I understand utterly, and support, everything you said about 
the half empty part of this particular glass... but I'm choosing to 
rejoice in the half-full part of the glass.  Anything that raises both 
the profile of the Code, and tells USA mothers that any part of the 
breastfeeding business is paying attention to Code issues, is a huge 
step forward in my eyes.  One tiny step at a time...

Morgan Gallagher
Cheered and encouraged in England.  :-)

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