On 8/20/17, The New Jersey Breastfeeding Coalition became a “new signer”, adding to 40+ organizations mentioned in the 8/17/17 US Breastfeed Committee (USBC) letter below.
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Dear colleagues,
On Tuesday, over 40 organizations sent an open letter requesting a meeting with the co-founders of the Fed Is Best Foundation. As you may be aware, Fed Is Best has engaged in a public campaign that draws links between the recommended practice of exclusive breastfeeding—as well as its education and promotion by health care providers—and the tragic deaths and injuries of babies.
While the breastfeeding field disagrees on the root cause(s) of these tragedies, it is in everyone’s best interest to engage in honest and constructive dialogue. Therefore the open letter invites the co-founders of Fed Is Best to discuss their positions in a meeting and try to find common ground.
We are sharing this information to keep the USBC network up to date on the approach being taken to foster dialogue with this group. As informal “steward” of this collaborative action, 1,000 Days sent the letter on Tuesday, August 15, and is now planning for multiple scenarios, since it is unknown how they will respond. In addition to the tremendous contributions of 1,000 Days, Baby-Friendly USA also has played a leadership role in guiding strategy and sharing the services of a communications consultant. Throughout the process, the USBC has served as a neutral convener for this activity, providing “backbone infrastructure supports” for the work of the ad hoc group of organizations that planned and is now implementing this action. (Note that in the role of neutral convener, the USBC supports bringing parties together to take joint action, but doesn’t participate directly in the action itself.)
Note: As of today, the sign on form has been reopened indefinitely, to accommodate organizations that wish to sign on as the word spreads further. New signers will be added to the letter every Wednesday, and shown in subsequent versions of the PDF file uploaded to the public link below.
Public Link to Letter: http://www.usbreastfeeding.org/d/do/2018
At this time, there is not a petition or action for individuals, but this is under consideration. Please stay tuned for additional updates as the Fed Is Best response becomes clear.
United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC)
4044 N Lincoln Ave, # 288
Chicago, IL 60618
Phone: 773/359-1549
Fax: 773/313-3498
office@usbreastfeeding.org
www.usbreastfeeding.org
