Improving the Lives of Children and Mothers Around the World

In the first week in August we will mark World Breastfeeding Week, an annual event in more than one hundred countries to educate mothers and families worldwide about the importance of breastfeeding to promote the health of infants. This is an important event every year, but even more so this year because of a misguided effort by the current Administration to undermine the clear message about breastfeeding we have been endorsing for decades.

Earlier this year, the United States astonished the world when it opposed a noncontroversial resolution introduced by Ecuador in the United Nations World Health Assembly supporting breastfeeding science and proper education of women. This, unfortunately, put the United States in the position of undermining progress towards better child and maternal health, especially in developing nations. The apparent motive for this reversal? A desire to help the bottom line of corporations who make or sell formula.

Reportedly, U.S. negotiators went so far as to threaten Ecuador with trade sanctions and withdrawal of military aid if it did not back down and withdraw the resolution. While a version of the resolution ultimately passed, this episode is a concerning step backwards from the promotion of science-based health recommendations, and the science is clear that breastfeeding is the best option for millions of women around the world.

Not all women can breastfeed, for a variety of reasons and, for many, an informed decision to use a breast milk substitute is the right one. The science, however, is clear – breast milk is a complete source of nutrition for babies, it is uniquely beneficial to the cognitive development and wellness of infants and is correlated with fewer infections and reductions in rates of obesity and diabetes.

An analysis published by The Lancet, a widely-respected medical journal, in 2016 found that improved breastfeeding practices would annually save the lives of 820,000 children under 5 years of age and reduce infection-related mortality in infants under 3 months of ages by 88% globally. The benefits to the mother are also substantial, including studies indicating that breastfeeding reduces rates of breast cancer in women.

Unfortunately, women around the world, particularly in developing countries, do not always get reliable information about the benefits of breastfeeding and the choice to use formula or other substitutes. The effort to improve education, and to push back against misleading marketing claims made to diminish the rate of breastfeeding and increase formula use, has been going on for decades. Following a major scandal surrounding misleading advertising of formula to women in the developing world, the World Health Organization adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, establishing ethical guidelines for the advertising of infant formula. The purpose of the code is to discourage marketing that gives mothers misleading information about breastfeeding or breast milk alternatives. Earlier this year there were reports of blatantly inappropriate marketing practices, reinforcing the need for a unified commitment to providing scientifically accurate information to mothers.

Despite the significant body of scientific evidence and support from health experts, this Administration walked away from that commitment in opposing the resolution in the World Health Assembly.

That’s why I recently introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives laying out the overwhelming scientific case for breastfeeding where possible and appropriate, and urging that all women around the world be educated about their options. Doing so has the potential to save the lives of tens of thousands of babies each year.

When it comes to the health of women and babies, science must come before profit. However, given the Administration’s ill-advised opposition, Congress should take the opportunity during World Breastfeeding Week to make clear that Americans support the science behind breastfeeding, and care deeply about helping children around the world live longer, better lives.

Putting the interests of corporations over that of women and infants is simply the wrong formula.