The Honorable Jackie Goldberg
State Capitol, Rm. 5155
Sacramento, CA 95814

The Honorable Helen Thomson, Chair
Assembly Health Committee
State Capitol, Rm. 6005
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001

April 10, 2002

Re: Support for A.B. 2447

Dear Assembly members Goldberg and Thompson:

On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and our 750,000 members and supporters, including 44,000 in California, we are writing to support A.B. 2447, which will prohibit the distribution of unsolicited free samples of infant formula to new or expectant mothers and their families and prohibit health professionals and hospitals from distributing information about a mother and her baby to formula manufacturers without her informed, written consent about the risks of formula-feeding and the benefits of breast-feeding.

We are strongly opposed to the aggressive marketing tactics of formula companies. Aggressive marketing by formula companies undermines a mother’s confidence in breast-feeding and promotes early supplementation, which can lead to breastfeeding difficulties or unintended weaning. The early introduction of formula and subsequent discontinuation of breast-feeding exposes an infant to an array of health risks throughout life.

Studies have shown that 30 percent of type 1 diabetes cases could be prevented by removing cow’s milk from kids’ diets; bottle-fed infants have five times the rate of gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections as do those who are breast-fed; bottle-fed infants have almost twice the risk of developing respiratory illnesses, some of which are deadly, as do breast-fed babies; bottle-fed infants have six times the risk of being overweight; breast-fed kids score higher on intelligence tests than milk-fed kids; and breast-feeding decreases rates of infant mortality, including deaths from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). PETA profiles these studies on our anti-dairy Web site, DumpDairy.com.

A.B. 2447 is a necessary first step in providing mothers with the tools and information that they must have in order to make an informed and educated decision about feeding their babies.

Sincerely,

Ingrid Newkirk, President
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

cc: Breastfeeding Taskforce of Greater Los Angeles
12781 Scharbarum Ave.
Irwindale, CA 92705

Alexis M. Neely, Esq.
355 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Martha Hartney-Schatzle
2909 Via Rivera
Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274