Phila Inq on NIP law: ""The gold standard...is to breast-feed a child until 6 mos"

[thyme]

From the Philadelphia Inquirer today, an article about the PA law protecting women's right to breastfeed in public:

"The gold standard for nursing is to breast-feed a child until the age of 6 months, public health experts say."

Here's the whole article:
http://www.philly.com/philly/health_...in_public.html

I'd like to know which public experts they consulted - "until 6 months" just sounds like anything beyond that is unnecessary.

[famousmockngbrd]

It's hardly the gold standard. More like the bronze standard.

[wannabe]

Holy crap, in that case am I adhering to the titanium standard?

I'll bet they got confused about the meaning of 'exclusive'. As in, the WHO means exclusive of solids, they interpreted it to mean exclusive of formula.

[Zadee]

Originally Posted by wannabe

Holy crap, in that case am I adhering to the titanium standard?.

You and me both, apparently.

[RachelGS]

Eyeroll. Arrrgh. Because is 6 months is the gold standard, then two months must still be pretty damn fine, no?

[Romana]

I would bet it's the usual confusion between "exclusively breastfeeding" and "breastfeeding." I've had to correct several people since I started BF dd that the WHO recommends 2 years and the AAP recommends at least 1 year.

It's disheartening they got it wrong in the article. Have you considered contacting the paper? They may print a retraction/correction if you can show them their error. It won't get noticed as much as if it was correct in the first place, but still. And maybe they could fix the online article.

[mamajake]

Originally Posted by thyme

From the Philadelphia Inquirer today, an article about the PA law protecting women's right to breastfeed in public:

"The gold standard for nursing is to breast-feed a child until the age of 6 months, public health experts say."

Here's the whole article:
http://www.philly.com/philly/health_...in_public.html

I'd like to know which public experts they consulted - "until 6 months" just sounds like anything beyond that is unnecessary.

That article was very disappointing in a few ways. Since there are real experts like Ruth Lawrence quoted, the author clearly could have gotten this "gold standard" right. I already wrote in about something else in article. I hope someone writes in about this.

[MaryJaneLouise]

:

[My4Boys]

That article was very disappointing in a few ways. Since there are real experts like Ruth Lawrence quoted, the author clearly could have gotten this "gold standard" right. I already wrote in about something else in article. I hope someone writes in about this.

I sent a quick email about the difference between "at least" and "gold standard".

ETA: And got a very quick and friendly response that they will be correcting the error.

[moderngal]

ETA: And got a very quick and friendly response that they will be correcting the error.

Great job!! Did they mention when they would be running the correction?
I still plan on emailing tonight. I need some time to get my self together with it, but an email will be sent-- before Big Brother starts tonight!!

Jake-- what else was the trouble with it? I thought the article was decent-- I liked that they had a woman that was nursing a baby over 12 months on it!! I do wish that picture was of at least 1 of the women nursing.

[thyme]

I did write in yesterday when I read the article, and received a response from the health editor today that said "I don't see what there is to correct. What we wrote is not wrong."

I replied with references to the AAP, WHO, Dept of Health and Human Services, and the Philadelphia Breastfeeding Resource Handbook which all of course had references to "at least 12 months or longer."

I also included an explanation of the difference between "until 6 months" and "at least 12 months" and asked the editor to reconsider, which she agreed to.

A "clarification" is supposed to run tomorrow.

[mamajake]

Originally Posted by moderngal

Great job!! Did they mention when they would be running the correction?
I still plan on emailing tonight. I need some time to get my self together with it, but an email will be sent-- before Big Brother starts tonight!!

Jake-- what else was the trouble with it? I thought the article was decent-- I liked that they had a woman that was nursing a baby over 12 months on it!! I do wish that picture was of at least 1 of the women nursing.

She opened the article saying that PA women would soon be safe from arrest. I had spent quite some time on the phone with dear Ms. Gebel explaining why that was not so but she ran with that anyway. I called her as soon as I read the article but she didn't return my call. I wrote a letter to the editor but have not recieved a post saying it would be published so I assume it won't be. Here is what I wrote:

I was quite disappointed with today's article concerning the recent passage of Senate Bill 34, the Freedom to Breastfeed Act. As I explained to the author in great detail during my interview, this bill does nothing to prevent the arrest of women who breastfeed in public and, in fact, does not alter the legal status of breastfeeding women in Pennsylvania.

Under Pennsylvania law, the owner of a public accommodation is free to withdraw the authorization of a breastfeeding woman to be in the owner's space. SB 34 does not change that. Once authorization is withdrawn, the woman becomes a trespasser and can be arrested as such. SB 34 does not change that.

SB 34 also states that breastfeeding is not any of a list of obscenity crimes. However, SB 34 does not amend the crimes code. It is the Pennsylvania crimes code that defines what conduct is subject to arrest and prosecution.

What SB 34 does do is grant permission to breastfeed in public space. However, breastfeeding in public has never itself been forbidden by law. Women have never been subject to arrest simply for breastfeeding in public. It is the right of public accommodations to convert breastfeeding women into trespassers that must be limited. SB 34 does not do that. It is harassment of and discrimination against breastfeeding women that limits the freedom to breastfeed in public space. SB 34 does not give breastfeeding mothers a mechanism to legally combat harassment and discrimination.

Is SB 34 better than nothing? I don't see how. Legally, SB 34 changes nothing.

Jake Marcus

[Deir]

The Inquirer is really getting dumbed down in recent years. I couldn't believe when I read that. I also thought it would have been better to show a photo of that mom nursing.

[sunflowers]

Originally Posted by thyme

"The gold standard for nursing is to breast-feed a child until the age of 6 months, public health experts say."

I saw that, too and I had to actually read the line several times in order to clarify that Ruth Lawrence wasn't the source of that bit of mis-information. In print, it almost appeared she was being quoted as saying that but the online article seems to be clearer with the extra spacing and such.

I'll admit that I got onto my little soapbox (I keep it at the kitchen table for such opportunities) and ranted to my family who simply listened patiently and nodded their heads. Not the first time it's happened with me.

I also thought it would have been better to show a photo of that mom nursing.

I kept going back to the photo thinking maybe she would be nursing next time I looked

I'll keep my eyes open for that correction tomorrow. It'll probably be stashed deep in the fine print in some random, unrelated section of the paper :