I  believe that there will be a multitude of responses to the ads in the
Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign.  I can look at a Jackson Pollack painting and go
yuck.  Someone else will think it spectacular art.  I can read Hemmingway and
think he is the greatest writer of our century.  Someone else read it and
think it trash.  If there is one thing about humanity that is consistent, it is
our diversity of opinion, beliefs, hopes, and dreams.

What concerns me about this Ad Campaign, is that the breastfeeding community
has aligned itself in this campaign with a government agency that is run by
someone who is politically appointed.  A person who is known for his
associations with multi-national corporations--particularly Nestle (as Wsiconsin governor
he got into trouble because of his alliance with Perrier-Nestle company)
There is a write up on DHHS Secretary Tommy Thompson at the Foundation for the
NIH (National Institute of Health) website.  He was honoring 8 organizations at
a "Innovation in Prevention Award" dinner.  "The event was made possible by
the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and its benefactors:
American Association of Health Plans and Health Insurers Association of America
member companies;  Grocery Manufacturers of America, H.J. Heinz Company
Foundation, Kraft Foods, Mars Inc., Nestle USA, PEPSICO, Pharmaceutical Reseach and
Manufacturers of America, Rodale Inc, The Coca-Cola Company and the Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Steinway & Sons."
http://www.fnih.org/news/hhspreventionawards_event.shtml

Is the desire to get help from the DHHS in regard to breastfeeding advocacy
rooted in the need for  funding?   If so, what will we be willing to sacrifice
in order to get that funding?  Will funding from a politically controlled
agency inable advocates to be able to say what they really think?  Or will
criticism be muted in order to get that funding?   When an agency is run by people
who have "friends with benefits" in the corporate world, will breastfeeding
advocates who receive this funding be able to speak out critically?  Or will we
face an increasing battle to protect and promote breastfeeding?
Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

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