It could be the stars, but today is particularly thick on mind-blowing items: After the passing of the boycott law and the announcement the parliamentary “inquiries” into the already-transparent funding of leftist NGOs will be put into action by next week, now comes a bill allowing the state to intervene in breastfeeding.
Yep, you read it correctly: A bill sponsored by Beck’s chaperon MK Danny Danon (Likud) would have it that any woman who doesn’t want to breastfeed her child would sign a form, stating that she was explained the medical benefist of breastfeeding and is still willing to expose her baby to disease. The Breastfeeding Encouragement Bill (Hebrew) states:
“A hospital shall not feed a newborn with a food compound for babies unless the mother has allowed this by signing a form to be determined by the minister. Said form shall include information to encourage breastfeeding, including information on the benefits of breastfeeding, information on the diseases and phenomena made less likely by breastfeeding, and other relevant information to be determined by the minister.”
Now, it’s true that there are many issues with milk substitutes and how they are chosen and used in Israeli hospitals (for example, Ynet reported in 2008 that hospitals choose their brand of milk substitute simply by the amount of gifts and benefits showered on them by the manufacturers). And there’s surely nothing wrong with providing information on the various options to feed a baby (although I assume such information is provided in the run-up to the actual birth). But to assail a woman in the afterbirth daze with a list of horrors that will consume her baby unless she breastfeeds? What business does the state even have in intervening in such a personal decision at such a crucial time? The mind boggles.
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Sali
I think you may have lost perspective a little. Both times I gave birth, I told the Israeli hospitals (two different ones) that I wanted to breastfeed exclusively – and each fed each baby with formula while I slept. Many other women in Israel tell me of similar experiences. A law to fix this sounds like a very good thing to me. Haaretz has a nicely ironic para on the real reasons for opposition to the bill:
“I see this as another nod to populism and superficiality by the State of Israel’s esteemed legislature,” said Gabi Barbash, head of Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital. Formula manufacturer Similac pays the hospital NIS 2 million to 3 million a year for the right to be its supplier.
max
@Dimi, “to assail a woman in the afterbirth daze”
I’d be much obliged if you could show us where the bill states that the signature should be provided AFTER birth.
Thanks.
I guess it could be done in the few seconds between the birth and giving the baby to the mother, asking whether she prefers Similac?
Sara
To me this protects the Mother’s right to breastfeed because hospitals will go against your wishes and give your baby a bottle and pacifiers, they kept giving my daughter sugar water out of a syringe to quiet her even though I repeatedly asked them not to. I imagine you sign the paper before birth, probably with other pre-registration paper work.
stacy
If hospitals aren’t giving women an adequate choice then there needs to be more staff education. The solution is not to make this a legal issue for the state via legislation. Women should have the right to choose how they want to feed their children after birth and one would hope that hospitals and legislators respect those choices.
If there are financial conflicts of interest with hospitals pushing formula, then those need to be addressed but this bill doesn’t get to the heart of that.
While hospitals should not prevent women from breast-feeding, as some commenters have alluded to, the form/waiver that women will be required to sign seems very one-sided. Two wrongs don’t make a right. There should be balanced, medically appropriate information provided which allows for women to choose without any guilt.
And remember, some women choose not to breastfeed for medical reasons and they should not be made to feel guilty about that simply because of some paternalistic legislation that makes clear it doesn’t respect women enough to make their own choices w/o having to apologize or explain them.
Sali
Stacy, the main problem here, which feminists don’t want to talk about, is that there is no real choice for women about whether to breast feed or not. Most women don’t try or give up early because our society makes breastfeeding impractical. Modern capitalist society is organised in a way that strips women of the right to choose – or it does if they want to have careers and carry on behaving as though nothing has changed with the addition of a baby to the family. Formula means anyone – husband, grandparents, nursery staff – can stand in for the baby’s mother. That sounds like liberation only because we have lost sight of the kind of bonds that once existed between mother and child. And we have done so because those bonds are inconvenient for our (male) business elites. In reality they decide how we live and what values are considered most important. Let’s not kid ourselves that this is progress.
Cheri
Formula shouldn’t even be an option at the hospital. It boggles the mind how women can be told all the facts about breast milk and formula and still choose second rate food for their kids. And pay for at that. If the hospital really wants to make sure moms make the healthiest choice they should stop providing formula at all. If women go home and then choose to go buy formula at the local market that’s their business. Guilt might be the only thing that will tug on moms hearts in this modern world and get them back to breastfeeding, the way babies have been fed for thousands of years.
Tactical Nuclear Housecat
Fascism plain and simple. One other thing they must stop doing is this Brit Millah. Babaric. End this silly practice immediately. Enlightened countries are already trying to do this, as well as eliminate the barbaric practice of kosher slaughter. End it all.
Imshin
I think you’ve misunderstood what this bill is, Dimi. Sounds like an excellent initiative, even if it has been proposed by a LIkud MP!