12-6-97

National Organization for Women:

Thank you for following up your original knee-jerk reaction to the AAP's
Breastfeeding Guidelines with a real feminist stance, calling for better
workplace conditions for breastfeeding and greater public acceptance of
breastfeeding.

However, implying that the findings would be used to judge mothers as
good or bad was way off the mark.
Health care providers are supposed to be reporting new findings and
making recommendations based on them. To do anything else would be
unethical.  Why would you dilute the importance of the breastfeeding
recommendations by saying "some women find it very difficult to
breastfeed because of  financial, logistical, health, or other reasons"?

I bet you wouldn't make such a statement in response to a recommendation
on using car seats or avoiding junk food.

Sincerely,
Laurie Wheeler, RNC, MN, IBCLC
Louisiana Breastfeeding MediaWatch
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