Public Citizen Jumps on the Ban–the-Bags Bandwagon: Advocacy group forms petition to rid hospitals of formula samples

One time, this potato bug terrorized our stairs for three days straight. Being the anti-violence-against-all-creatures vegetarian I am, I urged it to move on by gently prodding it with a stick. It wouldn’t budge. I finally gave up and decided it was it or me, so I ended up spraying it with all-purpose cleaner. It survived the assault. (All we had was organic cleaner in the house, so for all I know the stuff I used made the bug grow bigger and stronger.) Finally, I had to be all lame and stereotypically female and call my husband to take care of the situation – and he had to stomp on it seven times before it expired.

He was too ugly to live. Forgive me.

I feel like a broken record, talking about the movement to outlaw formula goodie bags from hospitals, once again… but just like our friend the potato bug, the damn issue just won’t die.

The newest incarnation of the old debate comes from the advocacy group Public Citizen. They have put forth a petition on their website, and have submitted a letter to hospitals that continue to hand out formula samples. According to the letter,

There is overwhelming consensus among all major health professional organizations regarding the health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies and the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life.[1]  Hospital promotion of infant formula through dissemination of these discharge bags contravenes this consensus, needlessly and inexcusably harming babies and families. Moreover, formula feeding imposes a significant burden on the nation’s economy. Breastfeeding saves families and the economy countless dollars….
 When hospitals distribute formula samples…they imply that these products are medically approved and recommended. Yet, there is ample evidence that formula samples reduce breastfeeding duration and exclusivity. Multiple studies have shown that women who receive commercial hospital discharge packs stop breastfeeding sooner than those who do not.[2] Hospitals expend resources to support mothers to breastfeed, but reduce the impact of these efforts by distributing formula samples.  Research shows that bag distribution sends a message more powerful than any verbal messages.[3] New mothers who at first experience difficulty breastfeeding are apt to choose to use free formula samples given to them in discharge bags instead of seeking out assistance with breastfeeding. Aware of these dangers, in 1981 the WHO established the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.[4] The Code states that healthcare facilities are not to be used for the marketing of infant formula. Hospitals in the U.S. that continue to distribute formula samples are in violation of the WHO Code.

2.  They state that “when hospitals distribute formula samples…they imply that these products are medically approved and recommended.” Well, um…that’s because they are. They are not recommended over breastfeeding (except in some cases) but they are indeed medically approved and recommended as breastmilk substitutes. Like it or not, formula has been deemed a safe alternative to breastmilk by medical authorities. A more accurate statement would have been “when hospitals distribute formula samples, they imply that they are advocating the use of formula over breastmilk.” Now that’s a train upon which I could climb on board. Hell, I’d even be the conductor. I agree that handing parents a bag of formula without asking if they are planning on formula feeding is utter and complete crap. It’s contradictory to the “breast is best/breast is normal” message and very confusing, especially coupled with the typically sub-par, hospital-grade breastfeeding support. (Don’t get excited – I’m not advocating that they do away with these sample bags. I think they should offer two versions – a breastfeeding one and a formula feeding one. Breastfeeding one could be provided by the state, since they are pushing so hard for the citizens to nurse their young. Formula one could be provided by the formula companies, because no one else is going to do it. And while we’re at it, it’s pretty depressing that the literature which comes in these bags is often the only education most parents get on how to safely bottle feed.)

3. Invoking WHO Code is pointless. The United States is notorious for being the only “major” country that doesn’t enforce the WHO Code; in this country, it is not a “law”, but rather a moral code which formula companies are “asked” to respect. It doesn’t matter that distributing these bags is violating the Code; until the government makes it illegal to pass out formula samples, hospitals have a right to do so.

Speaking of making formula bags illegal, the Ban the Bags movement was in the news for a different reason this week, as well.

(Ahem. Before I “go there”, I’m going to ask that we pretty please with a ginormous cherry on top do not let this veer off course into a political argument. This is not about the candidate in question or his political party, but merely some statements made by his camp many years back.)

One of the skeleton’s dragged out of Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney’s closet was his clash with breastfeeding advocates back in 2006. As Governor of my former home state, Massachusetts, he fought against an initiative to legally ban formula sample bags in hospitals.  According to BuzzFeed.com,

Romney’s spokesmen at the time and current campaign advisor Eric Fehrnstrom said the decision was about freedom of choice. “We’re not disputing the health benefits of breast-feeding, but we think that new mothers should make that choice,” Eric Fehrnstrom said. “If they choose to bottle-feed, they should be supported in that decision.”… Romney attacked the decision by the Department of Public Health as an intrusion of big government saying “I’m not enthusiastic about the heavy arm of government coming in and saying, ‘We think we know better than the mothers and we are going to decide that they can’t get free formula when it comes as a welcome home kit from the suppliers of formula with Q-tips, baby lotion and so forth. Let’s let the moms decide.”

Regardless of your political views, I do think it’s interesting that this story came out in the exact same week that Public Citizen released its letter and petition. If I were prone to conspiracy theories, I might say that Big Formula isn’t the only group that can orchestrate clever marketing campaigns. But I’m not prone to conspiracy theories, so I’ll just say this: Romney may or may not have been in cahoots with the formula companies (as was the accusation at the time, obviously), but that doesn’t make what he or his spokesperson said any less true. Let the moms decide.

So: if you really believe that receiving a sample bag hurt your breastfeeding efforts, let your voices be heard. Sign the petition. But please, don’t let this ridiculous battle overshadow the realities of the infant feeding discourse. Fighting for better support, longer paid maternity and paternity leaves, etc., would do far more for actually helping women to meet breastfeeding goals.

Lastly, using coercive tactics to convince the public about the superiority of your product is never okay.
And I’m not just talking to the formula companies.

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