I hope another comment about WIC is welcome.  My background- family
practice doc who did lots of obstetrics before I moved to Austin this past
summer, trained in large public hospital, very active in medical
association (on the Texas medical assoc PAC board). Years ago, when I was a
resident, I decided that the state medical association should have a policy
promoting breastfeeding (they didn't in 1987), so I submitted a resolution
that included figures on state and federal costs savings if there was a 5%
increase in WIC bf rates in the state, and that was critical of WIC
distributing processed liquid infant food.  To research the question I met
with folks at the state WIC program, and I was so impressed withtheir
efforts to promote bf. They'd made public service announcements, were
giving CME courses, changing policies and procedures as fast as they could
to increase bf rates.  I decided to change my resolution to ask the medical
association to help WIC with their efforts, as well as to state that the
official policy was that all babies should be bf for the first year at
least.  This is now policy (although the medical association doesn't do
enought), and I'm a fan of our WIC program, doing their best within our
(Texan) culture and federal rules. I had stated in public many times that
artificial formula should be a prescription item , but then I learned that
folks would just use cow's milk, so now I say, let's support WIC (and
everyone else's) efforts to promote bf and not criticize them for
distributing that other stuff.  I'm still an activist, but now my "targets"
are formula companies, hospitals, insurance companies, other md's, and
others who obstruct the efforts many are making to promote bf.

In regards to legal public bf - if Texas can pass a law affirming a women's
right to nurse her baby in any place she has a legal right to be, then any
state can. Cheers to our state Rep. Debra Danburg who sponsored the bill.
To find the bill, get into a gopher and find the Texas Legislative gopher,
or get on the web at http://www.tdh.gov.tx.us and use the links to other
Texas web sites to get to the legislative on - line service where you can
get a copy of the bill.
ok - off my soapbox - thanks

Julie Graves Moy, M.D., M.P.H.
[log in to unmask]
P.O. Box 4768
Austin, Texas  78765
512-440-0480
512-441-1666 fax