Legal notice against installation of 'human milk bank'

A legal notice has been served protesting against the installation of 'human milk bank' to reserve mother's milk, and seeking appropriate conditions regarding this.

Ministry of Religion, Ministry of Health, Islamic Foundation, Institute of Child and Mother Health (ICMH), Special Care Neonatal Unit (SCANU), Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and Dhaka's deputy commissioner have been made respondents in the notice. 

Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan sent the notice in public interest.

The legal notice said there are problems in the issue of 'human milk bank' on legal and religious grounds. 

According to religion Islam, a woman who breastfeeds baby of another is called milk mother (wet nurse). Children who are breastfed by the woman are considered “milk-siblings” and are prohibited from marrying each other. It is forbidden for a man to marry his milk mother (wet nurse) or for a woman to marry her milk mother’s husband, the notice read.

As a result of installing the human milk bank, there is possibility of marriage among the children due to drinking milk of same mother, the notice added.  

Installing milk bank is also direct violation of Bangladesh's Muslim Personal Law (Shariah Law) 1937.

It has recently been known that first ever 'human milk bank' was launched in the country on December 1 aims to reserve mother's milk. 

It has been launched at Institute of Child and Mother Health (ICMH), Matuail, Dhaka, Special Care Neonatal Unit (SCANU), and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). But However, it's official inauguration would be later. 

It was known that a mother, whose child died after birth or she has extra milk in breast after feeding her own child, can gives her milk to the bank. And the newborn, whose mother died after delivering it or she cannot feed it milk due to sickness, can drink milk kept at the bank.