[Note:  I am a little puzzled about Penny Van Esterik being described as
"radically conservative."  I wonder if two separate articles got blended
into one?  Anyway, here it is as it appeared on my computer...]


Copyright 1995 Southam Inc. The Ottawa Citizen

August 30, 1995, Wednesday, FINAL EDITION

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A9

LENGTH: 363 words

HEADLINE: Conservative women push their agenda

BYLINE: DIANNE RINEHART; THE CANADIAN PRESS

DATELINE: VANCOUVER

BODY: While China worries it's being invaded by radical feminists who plan
to run naked through its squares, the reality is that many delegates to the
conference on women are radically conservative.

Toronto's Penny Van Esterik is attending for the World Alliance for  Breast
Feeding  Action.

The organization promotes  breast feeding  over bottle feeding. Its
enemies? Businesses that deny women the right to breastfeed on the job,
companies that promote formula over mothers' milk.

The alliance wants the Beijing declaration to promote  breast feeding,  Van
Esterik explained while travelling to China to attend the meeting.

The problem: Western feminists perceive the  breast-feeding  movement is a
pro-life, anti-abortion issue, she says.

They've lobbied to keep references to  breast feeding  out of the final
conference document.

"Western feminists see it as barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen," she says.

"We see ourselves oriented around pharmaceutical issues, anti-dumping,
women's health. The group is not anti-abortion."

The goal of the fourth UN world conference on women: an action plan to
ensure women's rights are protected around the world.

...[several more paragraphs]

[log in to unmask] (Arly Helm, LC)