Friday, September 09, 2005

The Real Breastfeeding Issue Goes Far Beyond Mere Guilt

The less a woman breastfeeds, the greater her risk of breast cancer. So concluded a landmark meta-analysis in The Lancet medical journal, as reported on the front page of The Oregonian ("Study finds key factors to lower risk of breast cancer," July 19).

News like this is often met with concern about inducing guilt in women who don't breastfeed. But in no other area of health are people seen as needing emotional protection from the knowledge of risk. In fact, concealing risk is unethical and violates the principles of informed consent.

Women are told of the risks of alcohol and cigarettes to their unborn children. Smokers are told of tobacco's hazards to them and to those who breathe their second-hand smoke. Yet the known dangers of formula feeding are rarely disclosed to parents in a straightforward manner.

click to read more....

This is an excellent essay by Cynthia Good Mojab, MS - well worth reading. ~ Ali

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