I know what Valerie McClain is getting at when she describes the irony of
having to get a prescription for donor milk but not formula, but I want to
make a point about why prescriptions are needed for donor milk.  At present,
due to shortages, it is important to prioritize this precious commodity for
the smallest or most ill babies.  At the Mothers Milk Bank at Austin, we
have two ethicists on our board.  Currently a rabbi and a Catholic nun serve
in this capacity.  Our board has developed an ethics policy to help make
decisions on who gets the milk first.  Ability to pay is secondary, although
certainly the cost of screening and processing contributes to ability to
serve wide numbers of people.  So to some extent, the prescription process
prevents this from becoming a first come-first-serve with money-in-hand kind
of deal.

Barbara Wilson-Clay BSEd, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
http://www.lactnews.com

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