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BREASTFEEDING PROMOTION AND SUPPORT: A BIOETHICAL LENS
Harris, Adina S
Harris, Adina S
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Thesis/Dissertation
Date
2024-05
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Urban Bioethics
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http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/10204
Abstract
Research has long shown that breastfeeding provides many concrete health benefits for both mothers and infants that other forms of infant feeding do not. As such, unsurprisingly, breastfeeding has been deemed the preferred infant feeding method by the national and global medical communities and widespread initiatives promoting breastfeeding have followed. However, despite being well-intentioned, messaging around breastfeeding has left some people who cannot or choose to not breastfeed feeling othered and inadequate. While the health benefits of breastfeeding should not be understated, there are other experiences and perspectives that deserve to be in the conversation when thinking about breastfeeding and breastfeeding promotion. This thesis seeks to analyze breastfeeding and breastfeeding promotion from a bioethical perspective, providing an alternative lens through which to think critically about the way breastfeeding recommendations and initiatives are impacting real people. In this thesis, I will discuss the history of breastfeeding in the United States, why breastfeeding has come to be the gold standard of infant feeding, and real-life experiences of breastfeeding. I will also analyze breastfeeding, breastfeeding messaging, and current breastfeeding initiatives through the four principles of bioethics: beneficence, maleficence, autonomy, and justice. Lastly, I will offer my view and recommendations on how to incorporate bioethical perspectives into breastfeeding promotional strategies to create a more effective, inclusive, and supportive breastfeeding culture at the individual, community, and national level.
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