RE: Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution by U.S. Stuns World Health Officials
It's a two fold argument really, there are a lot of single mothers out there who have to work full time jobs and take care of others kids also. They don't have time to sit around and fill bottles with breast milk for the next day. In third world countries where water is dirty the mother is still consuming that water and it's still past to the infant that way. The answer shouldn't be banning formula but finding ways towards clean water sources. It's fine when people want to make healthier choices but just because they make those choices doesn't mean everyone else should be forced into it because of a lack of knowledge or education being banned on formula products, which is what the US government had a problem with, not education or training on the benefits of breast feeding just on the ban of promoting a product. If you look at trade agreements you will see in those agreements specific language that says nothing can get in the way of globalized trade, even the environment. When the US called for restrictions on netting that was catching dolphins in the nets of tuna fisherman the world trade organization objected and won saying that it would be cost prohibitive for third world fisherman to buy the kind of equipment therefore it interfered with their rights under trade globalization treaties. So then the US went to requiring only in US waters would these nets be required, they objected again, finally after arguing back and forth about it they finally agreed that there would be no ban of imports caught with dolphins in the nets but that companies that did not catch dolphins by using different netting could place labels on the products that say dolphin free or caught dolphin free. So you see what the US did with this breast feeding issue is no different then what one of these "world order" organizations did with the tune-dolphin debate. Globalized trade is bad for the environment and it has been proven over and over, they really don't care, they have a agenda, it's set in stone, doesn't matter if the climate debate is true or not globalized trade must go on even if it brings about the demise of mankind. The US couldn't "cherry pick" the issue neither should the world health organization unless it's a life or death situation. Every woman needs to be able to determine and have the knowledge to decide that which is right for her.
I totally agree that every mother needs to make that decision and it should be an informed decision that they make, I am not out to tell any woman what to do. This was not about banning formula milk. That was not what was being discussed here, it was not part of the resolution at all, so I do not know where you got that idea from, it was all about promoting breast milk, nothing was said about banning formula milk, we all know there is a need for it.
But when you have big corporations pushing their product on women in hospital's that is not acceptable in my eyes and trying to stop much needed information/promotion from being provided is not okay. I am not surprised of course as business will always come first, but we need to stay educated and informed that is the most important thing. But what happens if that is not happening, if mothers are not able to afford the formula then the babies become malnourished because they get half measures, that is not okay. The well being of babies should always be a priority, and as mothers we should be able to access all the information we need and make those decisions ourselves. I never said formula should be banned, I accept that there is a need for it, but breast is best at the end of the day and that is a very important message that needs to be seen. As A mother our bodies provide for our children and that should not be taken away from us all for making profit x
This article is very long and in depth, it addresses just about every angle of the pros and cons of both methods, list several reasons why in some third world countries a combination of both breast feeding and formula would be the best solution for the over all well being of infants. If there was a ban, which there will not be now, formula companies can now start working with under developed countries to make formula's that are consistent with each countries diets for the best aid of infants....you have to read the whole thing to understand that and why it's crucial there is no ban.
The controversy and confusion over opinions such as these reached the scale of global conflict earlier this year when the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) voted 118 to 1 to adopt a nonbinding code restricting the promotion of infant-formula products.
The United States's lone dissenting vote was explained, in part, by Elliott Abrams, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (since nominated to be the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights). ''Despite our governmental interest in encouragement of breast-feeding,'' he said the W.H.O. recommendations for a complete ban on advertising to the general public of infant formula and the proposed restrictions on the flow of information between manufacturers and consumers ''run counter to our constitutional guarantees of free speech and freedom of information.''
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/06/magazine/the-controversy-over-infant-formula.html
This was never about banning formula milk, you must have my article confused with another, I never even suggested that and it was not part of the discussion in the assembly in May, my article is about Breastfeeding. I am 100% for women's choice in this matter and I am fully aware that there is a need for formula milk, but again this was not what my article was about.
They said there was problems with the formula companies skirting the promotion rules, they wanted a complete ban on promotion of formula not the formula itself....it can be a bit confusing. As confusing as the whole debacle making it out that the US didn't want the promotion of women to breast feed. That's not what happened. The US threat was to withdraw funds given to promote breast feeding if they did a full out ban on the promotion of formula. That didn't mean they didn't want women to breast feed which is what the headline of your article suggest.