Ton Koene/VW Pics via ZUMA
Last night I linked to a New York Times story about how the Trump administration bullied Ecuador into withdrawing its sponsorship of a UN resolution to encourage breastfeeding. Are you curious about what the resolution actually says? Sure you are! Here it is.
The 71st World Health Assembly urges member states:
(1) to increase investment in development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of laws, policies and programmes aimed at protection, promotion, including education and support of breastfeeding, including through multisectoral approaches and awareness raising;
(2) to reinvigorate the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative, including by promoting full integration of the revised Ten steps to successful breastfeeding, in efforts and programmes aimed at improving quality of care for maternal, newborn and child health;
(3) to implement and/or strengthen national mechanisms for effective implementation of measures aimed at giving effect to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes as well as other WHO evidence based recommendations;
(4) to promote timely and adequate complementary feeding in accordance with the guiding principles for complementary feeding of the breastfed child, as well as guiding principles for the feeding of the non-breastfed child 6–24 months of age;
(5) to continue taking all necessary measures in the interest of public health to implement recommendations to end inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children;
(6) to take all necessary measures to ensure evidence-based and appropriate infant and young child feeding during emergencies, including through preparedness plans, capacity-building of personnel working in emergency situations, and coordination of intersectoral operations;
(7) to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week as a valuable means to promote breastfeeding;
Basically, they want countries to encourage breastfeeding; end misleading advertising of formula; and support “appropriate” measures during emergencies. Naturally, Donald Trump had this to say about it:
The failing NY Times Fake News story today about breast feeding must be called out. The U.S. strongly supports breast feeding but we don’t believe women should be denied access to formula. Many women need this option because of malnutrition and poverty.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2018
There is nothing in the UN resolution about denying anything to anybody. It merely encourages breastfeeding and opposes deceptive marketing of formula. As usual, Trump is lying about the whole thing.
