Melissa and other lactnetters,
  I am working on an article addressing some of the complex issues
around HIV and pregnancy, infancy and breastfeeding. Can someone
clarify for me (or refer me to some literature that can do so) the legal
issues.
There are an increasing number of cases of mostly physicians filing 51As
(child
abuse and neglect) on HIV+ mothers who breastfeed or who do not give
their babies recommended treatment for HIV. Where are the legal lines
around when parents can make their own choices about their children and
when it is acceptable for others (DSS, docs, the courts) to
step in and take over? Are there any differences in this regard between
HIV+ mothers who breastfeed and those who choose not to treat their
children
with HIV drug "cocktails" Can one legally force a pregnant woman to
take teh HIV "cocktails" to prevent her baby from getting HIV?
  It is interesting to me that in my experience (which is admitedly
limited) nurses and LCs who work with HIV+ women report that they have
chosen to bf against medical advice, but that they were making an
informed choice and the physicians are the ones who file reports to
DSS. As far as I know we are all mandated reporters of abuse and neglect.
Have others made the same observation or is my perspective skewed?
  Thanks for any info/insights you can offer?
  Naomi Bar-Yam PhD

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New England Complex Systems Institute
http://necsi.org
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