Using the argument that the AAP statement is merely acknowledging a woman's choice, or a right to her own body, and perhaps also protecting a woman's feelings for an inability to breastfeed due to UNTREATABLE medical condition(s) of mother or child...

BALDERDASH!!

What health practitioner or health agency would defend a woman's right to smoke during pregnancy???

This is the American Association of PEDIATRICs..isn't it.... that is  "The branch of medicine that deals with the care of infants and children and the treatment of their diseases."  They're not there to make ADULT women feel good about the choices they're making... they have one remit and one remit only do they not..? "Committed to the OPTIMAL physical, mental and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults..."  

When there are articles about smoking during pregnancy, they do NOT end the article by stating, "having said this (i.e. HOW  DETRIMENTAL SMOKING IS FOR A FETUS) we do understand though, that in some cases, a woman could find it excruciatingly painful, emotionally difficult, etc etc to quit smoking and so ultimately it is her choice."

YEs, of course, ultimately it is HER choice... but would YOU be the one to stand up and defend THIS woman--perhaps as a friend, a parent, or a sibling,,, but as A HEALTH PRACTITIONER???? WOULD THE AAP ACKNOWLEDGE AND DEFEND THIS as a woman's right to choose???

So why are you applauding the AAP statement when it clearly acknowledges (and by default, defends) a woman's choice to bottlefeed?  Why does this choice even need to be mentioned when this is a WOMAN's issue, not a CHILD's issue--no normal healthy infant chooses to bottlefeed.  For an infant there is NO CHOICE---  ONLY an EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL NEED to breastfeed.

And finally, what percentage of women that we support (or KNOW) who refuse(d) to breastfeed did so because of untreatable medical reasons?  This is NOT why the majority of women do not breastfeed in the world...

What some of you all are not getting (and Jennifer, great analogy but I think some people got distracted by the political loadedness of vaccines) is that this STATEMENT WAS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THE AAP's POLITICAL pandering and they need to CLEAN UP THEIR ACT!  FULL STOP.

All I'm hoping is that those of you who still believe that the choice to bottlefeed is still something that needs to be condoned and protected by the VERY organizations and practitioners who should be protecting the HEALTH OF INFANTS are of the old guard.... that is to say, "the times they are a'changin'.... 

rgds
georgia
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