A group of Filipino women bared their breasts at a rally in the Philippines to support efforts by the health department to ban infant formula advertising and promote breastfeeding.
Instead of carrying placards and banners, twenty-one women bared their chests colorfully painted with such messages as 'God's milk' and 'Infant formula dangerous.'
One woman's breasts were painted with a portrait of a malnourished child.
The women, members of Breastfeeding Advocates, warned that using baby formula could lead to malnutrition and other diseases due to improper feeding practices, which kill about 16,000 infants every year in the country.
The rally was held outside the Philippine Supreme Court in Manila, just hours before a hearing on a petition challenging the validity of a 1986 Milk Code that bans advertising of infant formula.
The Milk Code also requires milk companies to label containers with warning on improper preparation and unnecessary use.
Milk companies have opposed the code, arguing that it was against international trade and marketing agreements. They also warned that the code would have adverse effects on trade, investments, employment and other commercial activities.
The Department of Health, however, criticised milk companies for using advertisements to market promote false claims about their products.
'Some ads for breast milk substitute say children will grow up like Beethoven, Albert Einstein, which is not true,' Health Secretary Francisco Duque said. 'The best milk for babies is breastmilk.'
Health Undersecretary Alex Padilla added that milk companies also fail to inform parents about the risks of using infant formula instead of breastfeeding.
He noted that international studies have shown that formula-fed babies are more prone to various diseases than those who were breastfed during the first two years.
'Trade cannot take precedence over health concerns,' he said. 'We hope the Supreme Court will take into consideration health matters over business.'
According to the health department, only 16 per cent of mothers in the Philippines currently breastfeed, while Filipinos spend some 21.5 billion pesos (467.4 million dollars) on infant formula every year.
(monstersandcritics.com) Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=1540.0