To the Editor:

Re “U.S. Delegation Disrupts Accord on Breast Milk” (front page, July 9):

The discussions at the World Health Assembly reveal that mothers still lack the support they need to initiate and continue breast-feeding their infants.

Breast-feeding provides protection against newborn, infant and child infections, allergies, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and sudden infant death syndrome. The benefits of breast-feeding extend into adulthood, with lower rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease risk factors, diabetes and some types of cancers.

There are also health benefits for the mother, as it reduces the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Helping mothers to breast-feed takes a multifaceted approach, including advancing public policies like paid family leave, access to quality child care, break time and a location other than a bathroom for expressing milk.