The Pros And Cons Of The Dry Baby Formula

1023 Words3 Pages

Human life is sacred and the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person. These are only portions of what the Catholic social teachings represent. It is our duty to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. The USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) directs us to put the needs of others first, especially those that are poor and vulnerable. Exodus 22:20-26 - You shall not oppress the poor or vulnerable. God will hear their cry. Basic justice implies that all peoples are entitled …show more content…

NAN, a product made by Nestle is infant food formula that was marketed in third world developing countries where it is proven the water to be unsafe. Nestle, without being affected, aggressively marketed the dry baby formula to new mothers for the sole purposes of making a profit, without any regard to humanity. Companies earn profits on high priced products or services and then sell it at a higher cost than what it took to make. In order to use the infant formula, because it is a dry based product, water must be added. Continuing issues that developing countries encounter involves contaminated and unsafe drinking water. The baby formula was given to the labor and delivery wards of the hospitals where the babies were born. The babies were fed via bottles using the product from Nestle, versus being breast fed. Naturally, the babies grew to enjoy the flavor and mother’s enjoyed the new way of feeding, providing a new found freedom. Unfortunately, upon leaving the hospital, the mothers were not able to feed their babies for much longer due to not being able to afford to purchase the product. The product was sold at nearly half the cost of what a family could actually afford. In addition, to the high cost of the product, the water being used (outside the hospital) wasn’t safe. Babies were not gaining weight; they were losing weight, and becoming extremely …show more content…

As stated above, humanity overpowers money. Society should not be driven/valued by money, but by people. The lives of millions were not even considered. Those lives were vulnerable babies without a voice, babies who were dependent on adults to care for them. Unfortunately, most mothers of the babies weren’t educated enough, to properly take care of their children; but they instinctively knew that breast milk was the way in which to feed their newborn children. Sadly, it was highly educated individuals from Bristol Meyer/Nestle that dismissed the dynamics of those in need (poverty and vulnerable state) in order to make millions of dollars of capital gain for their company. This is a total injustice to the children who died, to the mothers who lost their children, to their respective communities, to all family members and to society overall. First, and foremost – the children who died didn’t have a voice. The mothers were blind-sided/ fooled by a large successful corporation within a largely developed country. Nestle created a need where a need did not exist. They convinced mothers that their physical features (breasts) were better used to attract the opposite sex than to feed and nourish their young children. Mothers instinctively respected and trusted the executives from Nestle

Open Document