Are You a Good Mother?

I propose a simple test to determine if a woman actually does, in fact, has her child's wellbeing foremost in her mind. It consists of a single question:

"Do you breastfeed, or do you use formula?"

The facts are pretty much not in any serious dispute: breastmilk is superior to formula, to a simply staggering degree. For us, the decision was obvious -- between the health benefits and the fact that we weren't spending a hundred dollars or whatever a week on formula, I'm amazed that the formula companies can even remain in business.

Or, I was amazed. Then I saw, via PZ Myers, that the formula companies have powerful friends, and they don't hesitate to cash in their chips if they think the prevailing wind is going to shift toward breastfeeding once again becoming the predominant means of feeding babies.

As far as I am concerned, we will never be able to truthfully claim that we only want the best for our children as long as infant formula is available without a prescription.