With regard to the human milk engineered rice for preventing diarrhea in infants, sadly, a small voice of lactation professionals will never get generate enough outcry against the biopharm machine with regard to protecting babies from GMO's and protecting breastfeeding, in my opinion.
The issue is too enormous and complicated. There are large organizations taking on the issues of GMO (genetically modified organisms) and my suggestion is to join or be active with a group who already is working towards educating the public and politicians on this issue.
Advocacy/activist groups love help and volunteers, so write to these groups and offer to lend your support on this particular topic ( the importance of clean breastmilk and the constituents coming directly from a natural source such the mother or a donor mother).
Greenpeace has an excellent position statement against such biopharming:
"GMOs should not be released into the environment as there is not adequate scientific understanding of their impact on the environment and human health.
We advocate immediate interim measures such as labeling of GE ingredients, and the segregation of genetically engineered crops and seeds from conventional ones.
We also oppose all patents on plants, animals and humans, as well as patents on their genes. Life is not an industrial commodity. When we force life forms and our world's food supply to conform to human economic models rather than their natural ones, we do so at our own peril. "
Many advocacy groups protest the patents on human milk components ( lactoferrin, etc) such as Greenpeace and PETA http://www.peta.org/Automation/AlertItem.asp?id=1105
If activist groups don't appeal to you, then there are other "softer" groups and journals that may just love an editorial paper from an IBCLC on this subject.
Many journals and environmentalists are writing about this issue -.
".... Biotechnology companies have also investigated putting human genes into animals for food production. Gen Pharm bioengineered Herman, the first transgenic dairy bull, for producing milk with a human protein. By identifying which proteins are most important for infants, laboratories will be able to produce formula more similar to mother's milk by inserting human genes. (It would not be surprising if companies then promoted their genetically engineered formula as being just like human milk but having less dioxin.) "
Fitz, Don (1999) .Will Human Genes Be Spliced into Food for People?.
Synthesis/Regeneration 19(Spring).
Here are more links from the US Gov't on groups interested in the GMO controversy:(pro and con)
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/gmfood.shtml
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Mirine R. Dye, CCE,CD,CLE
Mothers in Paradise, New Mother Support and Education
Florida Keys
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