An Assault on Breastfeeding
Veronica Haywood, NLC San Antonio
In May, delegates to the World Health Assembly (WHA) were pressured by U.S. counterparts to vote against a resolution that called on governments to support breastfeeding. Simply put, the U.S. was asked to make a simple acknowledgement of the scientific consensus of breastfeeding being the healthiest option for infants, but instead they announced support for corporations that regulate infant formula manufacturers that continue to lie to consumers about benefits.
In one threatening argument, delegates from Ecuador were threatened with negative trade repercussions and loss of military support. Ultimately, the United States’ efforts were derailed, and the resolution on infant and young child feeding passed.
The U.S. opposition to the WHA resolution brought needed attention to a issue that is more than just about breastfeeding. These actions are a evident reminder of why our fight for to keep the government out of important areas of reproductive women’s health is needed now more than ever.
In the U.S., breastfeeding is often described as a choice. But let’s be honest we live in a society that this merely an illusion of choice. With the lack of available resources and support many people, specifically people of color and those living in low-resourced communities, encounter numerous physiological, social, historical and cultural barriers that affect breastfeeding. Breastfeeding in communities of color, specifically Black communities, are disproportionately affected by poor birth outcomes such as prematurity, low birth weight, infant mortality, lower breastfeeding rates and maternal mortality and morbidity. That’s not to say breastfeeding would eliminate these but it will support improved health for vulnerable premature or low birth weight infants.
Many health care professionals were not taken by surprise with the U.S. attempts to block the resolution. This is not new. These tactics reflect the current administration’s efforts to restrict global and domestic funding, resources, and support for women’s and reproductive health initiatives.
Just to remind you, the Trump administration reinstated the global gag rule in January 2017, which prevents nongovernmental organizations receiving U.S. federal funding from providing education or discussing the full range of reproductive health options, particularly abortion. It has proposed budget cuts to weaken the Affordable Care Act, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP), Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Planned Parenthood.
With unthoughtful consideration to the wellbeing of families, it was no surprise that breastfeeding is now the current target to the political warfare. The systematic dissolutions of funding and support for reproductive health initiatives is indicative of this administration’s misprioritization of corporate profits over human livelihood, especially when it comes to women, children, and pregnant individuals.
Instead of impending global efforts to support and promote breastfeeding in other countries, the United States should take more initiative to focus on addressing the critical strategies outlined in the 2011 Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding.
Veronica Haywood is a registered nurse,lactation consultant, women’s health nurse practitioner student, and co-founder of her nonprofit Latched Support. She is also a member of the New Leaders Council-San Antonio Executive Board, a 2017 NLC San Antonio fellow, and a NLC Life Entrepreneurship trainer. She can be reached at veronicahaywood@gmail.com.
