The 3 Minute Activist
Betsy Hart (February 20, 2021).

Dear Betsy Hart, I do not think the Massachusetts ban was a crummy way to start the new year! I think it is a fantastic way to ensure that more babies are likely to be breastfed. Reading your article makes me very sad and angry because you claim to know a lot about why breastfeeding is “healthier,” yet your article is full of myths, misconceptions, and attitudes about nursing that make it seem like something indecent and of only marginal importance. No woman should be forced to feed their infant in a particular way; but women should be given complete and accurate information. You stated, “Everybody knows that breastfeeding a young infant is physically healthier in all sorts of ways than giving him formula. We also know that babies fed infant formula do ... just fine.” This is misleading and inaccurate. Sure some babies fed formula are as healthy or healthier than some babies fed breastmilk. But, research shows statistically that babies fed formula are at higher risk for death, illnesses and other health problems. Sure some children that ride in cars without car seats live. But it is common that many agencies recommend car seat use and take steps to encourage car seat use. Because statistically, it saves lives and prevents injuries. In fact, the AAP explicitly states that encouraging breastfeeding among parents is "as important to preventive pediatric health care as promoting immunizations, car seat use, and proper infant sleep position." (http://www.aap.org/advocacy/bf/brhist.htm) We would like to believe that formula-fed babies do just fine, but formula feeding increases infant death rates. There is no clear exact number for the increase in risk of death but here are a few. Some analyze that formula feeding doubles the infant death rate. (http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-bf/312-formula-report.htm) A May 2004 Pediatrics study says risk of infant death in the first year can be cut by at least 38 percent by breastfeeding at least 3 months. The study, conducted by NIEHS epidemiologists, also indicates that prolonged breastfeeding may foster an even greater reduction in infant mortality. (http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2004/112-10/forum.html?section=children#brea). More recently in November 2005, Unicef announced that breastfeeding is saving the lives of 6 million babies a year, but more than twice that could be saved if more mothers would use the time-honoured method. (http://news.softpedia.com/news/6-Million-Lives-a-Year-Saved-by-Breastfeeding-13036.shtml). "The contamination of powdered infant formula with Enterobacter sakazakii and other pathogens has been implicated in outbreaks of sepsis, meningitis or necrotising enterocolitis, and has lead to severe lasting complications including neurological disorders and in some cases to death." (http://www.babymilkaction.org/press/press4jan06.html) Between 1982 and 1994 alone, there were 22 significant infant formula recalls in the United States. Several of these were classified by the Food and Drug Administration as Class I, meaning health problems could be life-threatening to babies who were fed the tainted formula. (http://www.breastfeeding.com/advocacy/advocacy_recalls.html) And Naomi Baumslag, M.D., MPH and Dia Michels note in their book, "Milk, Money and Madness" (Bergin and Garvey, 1995): "Even where bacterial contamination can be minimized, the risks of bottle-feeding are not inconsequential. Bottle-fed infants raised by educated women in clean environments, to this day, have significantly greater rates of illness and even death ... In a study that analyzed hospitalization patterns for a homogeneous, middle-class, white American population, bottle-fed infants were 14 times more likely to be hospitalized than breast-fed infants." Your statement that formula fed babies do "just fine" is also incorrect and simplistic because in addition to infant death, formula feeding leads to increased risk of life-long health problems, such as cancer (in babies and mothers), diabetes (babies and mothers), obesity etc. (See http://www.promom.org/101/index.html) I hope with this new information, in the future, you will learn more about the subject matter before you make harmful statements. As a commentator to a wide audience, it would only be right to issue a retraction and correction. I look forward to your reply. Sincerely,
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