More Free Formula Controversy
Posted by Rachel on August 5, 2007
MamaBear at the International Breastfeeding Symbol blog has a post taking on the uproar over changes in New York City Hospitals’ new policy of no longer automatically giving formula to all birthing women. MamaBear details the inaccuracy of mass media coverage on this news, financial conflicts of interest, and explains that thereis no “breast-feed gestapo.“
MamaBear gets the point of what the move is actually doing (providing formula to women who request it) vs. how people are understanding it (that the government has banned formula from the hospitals altogether). This misunderstanding is evidenced here, where the author states, “New York and Massachussetts have now passed laws against hospitals providing free formula to mothers who give birth there…I take my extra unopened cannisters of free formula to a food bank for those who have trouble affording it. If you receive free formula you won’t use, please do the same. Unless, of course, your friendly local government has taken away the option.”
First, this change is not a legislative move. New York City’s public hospital corporation made a policy change. Other private hospitals in the area are not affected. Formula has not been banned in total – it is simply no longer being automatically distributed. It will still be available to women who request it. There is no shortage of other blog entries demonstrating similar misinterpretation of the change, and it is baffling.
