Taurean, TBH, the impact on society as a whole, not just babies will not really be known yet for another I say 20yrs or so.... if you look at the generations now receiving FF as opposed to years and years ago when it was mainly BF, when most families couldn't afford formula as it was too expensive...... we really don't know the implications this will all have on our society and environment until further down the track. It is still too early to tell I believe.... I do know however, that nature designed breastmilk for babies. This is what nature ALWAYS intended babies to have.

Yes I have had to use formula for my DD when she was very young (low milk supply issues and low weight gains).... but I corrected the issues we had an exclusively BF her from 5mths onwards..... it was never easy for me. But I fought for DD's right to breastfeed and to receive breastmilk as i knew it was her birthright to receive it until (at least) 12mths.

I don't understand how people can argue with nature???
We aren't arguing with nature, just pointing out that formula is the next best thing to BM. That's all.

I agree, it will be interesting to see the effects less breastfeeding will have on generations to come but I must point out, there are plenty of babies from the 60's and 70's who weren't breastfed. There was formula, soy milk, cows milk, goats milk (quite popular for babies with allergies) and Carnation and condensed milk (scary, I know, but true). I think you'll find that breastfeeding was actually less acceptable 30, 40 even 50 years ago in our society. Babies were often taken away from their mothers in the hospital to be fed (from the bottle and it wasn't EBM) four hourly on the dot. Women were shunned for breastfeeding and those who did, often had to feed in private (except for those who attended the hippy festivals of the 60's where anything went!).

I, my sister and brother were all formula fed. In our 30's, all three of us are fine. My DH and his sister were both raised on goats and Carnation milk due to severe allergies. DH's mum BF her eldest daughter successfully, that was it. She had no choice but to supplement with something else for her other two kids - allergies, in this instance, chose to take on Mother Nature and won.