Breastfeeding and "an alarming House Bill"

Last time, we talked about the positive benefits of breastfeeding both for mothers and children. Health-wise, there can be no substitute for mother’s milk. Breastfeeding provides stronger emotional bonds between the mother and the child. Breastfeeding is also a celebration of God’s provision for us all through this free flow of milk for all babies.

Then comes along this “alarming” draft House bill entitled “An Act Promoting a Comprehensive Program on Breastfeeding Practices and Regulating the Trade, Marketing and Promotions of Certain foods for infants and Children.”

Emailed by the UP Center for Women’s Studies, this post and message deserves to be known by all Filipinos, especially by mothers and women’s groups and all those who believe in the positive benefits of free breastmilk for all.

Below are the highlights of the posted UP-CWS email. For more details, the contact links provided are [email protected] and mailto:ritalindaj%40gmail.com.

“Filipino mothers are barely becoming more aware that nothing beats breast milk but already, four representatives in the House sponsored a consolidated@bill that, if passed into law, would effectively set back the gains achieved in the campaign for exclusive breastfeeding. The House bill, ironically authored by three women and one male representative, contains provisions that would substantially change the contents of the@existing Milk Code (Executive Order 51) and the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009 (Republic Act 10028).

Sad, because even with the existence of these two laws, which encourage lactating mothers to breastfeed, implementation has been tough. And why not? The makers of infant formula and breast milk@substitutes have continued to glamorize the use of breast milk@substitutes and continued launching promotional gimmicks that entice mothers to use infant formula. Thus, lactating mothers, especially@those with lower educational attainments, are drawn toward favoring the@use of powdered milk formula more than their own breast milk. If the@draft House bill…is legislated, it will surely weaken our country’s breastfeeding laws to levels@preceding the years before the Milk Code was passed in 1986.

First, it will narrow down the application of the Milk Code with the draft House Bill limiting the application of the law to infants aged 0 to six months only.

Second, the draft bill lifted the restriction on donations of@artificial milk products in emergency situations. Thus, mothers who@suffer from disabilities would be encouraged to shift to milk@substitutes instead of being encouraged to continue breastfeeding@assisted by support persons.@Third, while lactating mothers used to be entitled to lactation@breaks for a total of 40 minutes in an eight-hour-work period, with pay under the bill, lactation breaks will no longer be paid.

Fourth, milk companies will now be allowed, once again, to give away free samples of artificial milk products in the health care system, most likely (encouraging mothers) to feed their babies with formula rather than breastfeed. Fifth, the dual language (English and Filipino) of the literature in milk cans and boxes, which explains that@breast milk is superior to artificial milk products and cites the@dangers of formula feeding, will be removed. Finally, the bill also allows milk formula manufacturers to get@involved in educational activities and the production of materials relating to breastfeeding, infant and young child care and nutrition.”

The UPCWS shared posting ends with the question: “Can we expect milk manufacturers to relegate their profit motive and@survival in the market, to the background?” 

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Email: [email protected]