The 3 Minute Activist
Propane Council (September 2003) - Stop running ad's that promote propane by showing a Mother heating a bottle during a power outage.

Dear Ms. Hutcheons-Caskin and Mr. Osgood, I was shocked and appalled to see the Propane Council`s advertisement run on HGTV promoting propane by showing a mother fixing her crying baby a bottle of formula during a power outage. Surely the Propane Council could have found another way to promote the benefits of propane use than to reinforce the mistaken notion that feeding babies formula is normal and appropriate. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that breastfeeding is the preferred method of feeding all infants, and recommends that mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively for six months and thereafter for at least the first year of life. The Surgeon General has determined that increasing the abysmally low rates of breastfeeding in this country is one of the top public health priorities of this decade. A plethora of scientific research studies has demonstrated conclusively that artificially fed infants: are at greater risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, are more likely to die or become seriously ill with diseases such as cancer and diabetes, are more likely to suffer from less serious but still significant diseases and syndromes such as ear infection, allergies, and asthma,are more likely to become obese, than their breastfed peers. Moreover, mothers who breastfeed their babies have significantly lower rates of breast and ovarian cancers. Artificial baby milks will never be able to replicate the complex nutritional, immunological, and brain-developing components of breastmilk. Ads such as yours undermine the nation`s public health by continuing to promote the cultural norm of bottlefeeding. Especially given that there are innumerable other uses for propane than heating up a bottle of formula, I urge you to stop running this particular ad. Oh, and if the woman in the ad had been breastfeeding? Her hungry baby would have been instantly comforted at the breast. No need to let her baby cry while she prepares and heats up a bottle of inferior artificial baby milk. References: http://www.aap.org/policy/re9729.html http://www.promom.org/101/ http://www.4woman.gov/breastfeeding/bf.cfm?page=Campaign http://www.kellymom.com/newman/risks_of_formula_08-02.html" Sincerely,
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