Dear Ms. Moonves,
I am writing to express my disappointment with the recent episode of Chicago
Hope which portrayed a breastfed baby who died after becoming severely
dehydrated.  Having worked as a maternal child nurse for over 10 years, I
know that this scenario is extremely rare, and NOT caused by breastfeeding,
but rather by a lack of adequate follow-up care.  The show's portrayal of
Baby-Friendly policies as rigid, and forcing mothers to breastfeed, is also
quite inaccurate. I am familiar with the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative
because the facility where I work received the Baby-Friendly Certification
from UNICEF in 1997.  Baby Friendly is a program that is designed to remove
institutional barriers to breastfeeding, not to force anyone to breastfeed.
  It is my hope that your network will write and run a show in the near
future that corrects/ balances some of these inaccurate messages.  Perhaps
you could do a show depicting the well- documented hazards of formula
feeding.  I would be happy to serve as a consultant, and provide information
for such a program.
  Sincerely, Martha Johnson RN, IBCLC, Eugene, Oregon