Raw Milk, Pregnancy, and the Forgotten Lesson of Pasteur
Why ignoring 19th-century science is costing 21st-century lives.
A recent lawsuit in Florida illustrates, in the most painful way, the dangers of raw milk. A mother lost her unborn child after contracting Campylobacter while caring for her toddler, who had fallen ill from drinking raw milk purchased at a local organic market. State health officials linked this farm’s products to at least 21 cases of E. coli and Campylobacter infections—several of them in children, with multiple hospitalizations.
This is not an isolated incident. Since 1987, the CDC and FDA have recorded more than 140 outbreaks tied to raw milk or raw milk products, resulting in miscarriages, stillbirths, kidney failure, and deaths. The pathogens most often implicated—E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella—are especially dangerous for children and pregnant women. Listeria, in particular, has a well-documented ability to cross the placenta, causing miscarriage or stillbirth even when the mother’s symptoms are mild.
Pasteurization, developed by Dr. Louis Pasteur in the 19th century, was one of the great public health achievements in history. Heating milk to eliminate harmful bacteria dramatically reduced infant mortality and maternal morbidity. It remains a cornerstone of food safety worldwide. To dismiss this achievement and promote raw milk as a “natural” or “immune-boosting” alternative is both ahistorical and irresponsible.
As an obstetrician, I have to be clear: there are no health benefits unique to raw milk. Pasteurized milk contains the same calcium, protein, and vitamins without the risk of transmitting pathogens. Claims of special “bioactives” or immune-enhancing properties have not been substantiated by rigorous science. What has been substantiated is the risk: sepsis, pregnancy loss, and permanent injury in children.
The Florida case adds another layer of concern. The mother herself did not drink the raw milk; she contracted the bacteria while caring for her sick toddler. This underlines an overlooked reality—raw milk can cause harm not only to the consumer, but also to vulnerable family members exposed second-hand. In pregnancy, even a seemingly minor exposure can have devastating consequences.
What is especially troubling is that Florida’s own Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has publicly supported the consumption of raw milk, framing it as an issue of “freedom of choice.” Likewise, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a national political figure, has repeatedly promoted raw milk as part of his broader rejection of mainstream medical and public health guidance. These are not harmless personal preferences—they are endorsements that lend credibility to practices with proven risks. When figures in positions of authority or influence equate freedom with consuming unpasteurized milk, they are not promoting informed choice; they are normalizing misinformation that can endanger pregnant women, children, and entire families.
The truth is simple: raw milk kills. It has killed before, it continues to kill, and it will kill again if myths about its supposed benefits are allowed to outweigh scientific evidence. Pasteurization is not a government intrusion—it is a life-saving intervention. To suggest otherwise from a platform of political leadership is reckless and irresponsible.
Public health authorities have long warned against raw milk consumption, yet demand has grown, fueled by influencers, conspiracy theorists, and now even politicians. The tension is clear: the rhetoric of personal liberty versus the hard evidence of preventable tragedy. But freedom without truth is not freedom—it is risk disguised as choice.
Louis Pasteur saved mothers and babies in the 19th century. Ignoring his lesson in the 21st puts them back in danger. Raw milk doesn’t build immunity—it destroys it. For pregnant women, the cost is measured in lives lost. Pasteurization is not government overreach. It is why your child—and mine—can drink milk safely today.
#PublicHealth #PregnancySafety #ObGyn #RawMilkRisks #FoodSafety #MaternalHealth #PatientEducation #Pasteurization #EvidenceBasedMedicine #PreventableTragedy