Independent TD Carol Nolan has said she has been left “stunned and saddened” by the HSE’s response to concerns she raised surrounding a recent and highly controversial conference organised by the state funded Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI).
Deputy Nolan was responding to correspondence from the HSE in which it concluded that no specific child protection or welfare concerns arose that required further safeguarding action.
“The most significant aspect of the HSE’s response is its conclusion that because ALCI is not considered to be providing a relevant service to children under the Children First Act, no child safeguarding concerns arose that warranted further action,” said Deputy Nolan.
“I believe many parents will find that reasoning difficult to understand given that the conference in question dealt with matters relating to lactation, infant feeding and support for families,” she said.
Deputy Nolan said that the response appears to focus on a narrow statutory definition rather than addressing the broader concerns that were raised.
“The issue was never simply whether a particular legal threshold under the Children First Act had been met. The issue was whether legitimate concerns relating to infant welfare, professional standards and safeguarding had been fully considered.”
“The fact that an event, that was due to feature a presentation on ‘male lactation’ from a speaker with a history of sexualising the practice, may have been attended by adult professionals does not alter the reality that its subject matter relates directly to babies, breastfeeding and infant care. That is why so many members of the public were concerned in the first place,” she said.
The speaker in question, Jacob Engelsman had previously presented on “Inducing Lactation for Kinksters at an event named Frolicon, “an adult lifestyle and fetish convention held annually in Atlanta, Georgia with substantial programming around kink, BDSM, sexuality, polyamory, LGBTQ+ relationships and alternative sexual/family cultures.”
His book, Lactation for the Rest of Us, states: “As to the question of why they would want to, it seems reasonable to believe that cis men want to lactate for the same reasons as anyone else. Which is to say, usually to feed and bond with their baby and to a lesser extent for curiosity, fun, or sexual gratification”.
Deputy Nolan also said that the HSE’s letter provides little detail as to how it reached its conclusions.
“The HSE states that it considered the information available and identified no specific child protection or welfare concern requiring further action. However, the response does not explain what evidence was considered, what assessment was undertaken or what factors informed that conclusion.”
The Offaly TD said that safeguarding should not be viewed solely through the lens of statutory definitions.
“Safeguarding is about more than determining whether an organisation falls within a particular legal category. It is about ensuring that the welfare of children remains paramount and that public confidence in our healthcare institutions is maintained.”
“Many people will remain concerned that the very obvious issues which gave rise to such significant public controversy have not been adequately addressed. In fact, it is now crystal clear that the threshold for meeting the standard of a child safeguarding concern needs to be radically revised.”
Deputy Nolan said she will continue to seek further clarity on the basis for the HSE’s determination.
The HSE said that “ALCI is an independent organisation and is responsible for its own operational and programme decisions.”
“While the HSE provides limited grant funding to ALCI, responsibility for conference planning and delivery rests with the organisation itself. Speakers are agreed by ALCI Council in line with their international governing body the IBLCE and its approval processes,” it added.