Fortified breastmilk - is it still breastmilk? Should it be sold at a profit?

Click HERE for Baumslag's website and the full report.

These are some of the questions the esteemed Dr. Naomi Baumslag is asking. Along with colleagues Elisabeth Sterken and Glynnis Mileikowsky, Baumslag has released a brief report on the results of her survey on the sale of human milk in 33 countries, with data collected at the World Breastfeeding Conference in Johannesburg in December 2016.

Among the findings:

• "... a pervasive lack of knowledge of the many issues around breastfeeding, Human Breast Milk (HBM) donation and commodification, and identified areas for education. 
• less informed respondents requested more information and saw the benefits of being involved in the education of women so that they are not exploited and can better understand the need to help infants in need of donated HBM for their survival. 
• most of the respondents felt that it was important to pay donor women if their milk was being sold at a profit by someone else, rather than donated. 
• some respondents expressed the need to keep milk available for babies rather than for commercial purposes. 
• cultural differences in attitudes to mothers selling HBM, but some field workers and researchers indicated that lactating women could use the cash for transport and to feed their families. 
• many respondents felt that women undervalue their breastmilk and that HBM should not be sold.  ..."

Baumslag has a call for comments open - please visit her website to read the full results of the survey and for information on how to comment: Should human breast milk be for sale?