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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 16644
[Action/Protest]
Date Posted:
11/22/2006
9:48:19 am EST
Wvox Stats
Views: 7,811
RSS: 22,450
Comments: 42
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Mothers Rally To Back Breast-Feeding Rights
Author: Cecilia Kang Source: Washington Post
Title: MOTHERS RALLY TO BACK BREAST-FEEDING RIGHTS
Karen Gral knows how difficult it is to travel with small children: standing in long lines with squirming toddlers, dealing with new security rules that prohibit liquids -- including some baby foods -- and lugging strollers, car seats and diaper bags through airports.
So when the Alexandria mother of two heard that a family was kicked off a Delta Air Lines flight last month because the mother refused to cover her baby with a blanket while breast-feeding, Gral decided to join 70 people at Reagan National Airport yesterday for a "nurse-in" in front of the Delta ticket counter.
According to Gillette's attorney, Elizabeth A. Boepple, the family boarded a flight from Burlington, Vt., to New York on Oct. 13 after a two-hour delay. On board, Emily began to nurse her toddler daughter in her window seat before takeoff.
A flight attendant handed Emily Gillette a blanket and said, "You need to cover up. You are offending me," according to Boepple.
Gillette refused, saying, "No, thank you. I will not put a blanket on top of my child's head," according to Boepple.
Moments later, the Gillettes were escorted off the plane by a ticket agent and put on a flight the next day.
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Community Thoughts: There are 42 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Ignorance Can Be Fixed | Nov 24th. at 10:55:54 am EST
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Liriel (Lehigh Acres, Florida) - Email Me
The women who participated in the nurse-ins are awesome to support your fellow nursing moms. I would have joined them but all of mine are done nursing. It is a shame that mothers are being harrassed because a breast a been exposed while feeding their babies the same way for millions of years. Has it been forgotten that we are ALL mammals. Mammals breastfeed their young.
Breastmilk is a living fluid which supports and builds a baby's immune system.
13 weeks of breastfeeding can give an infant 7 years of protection against gastroenteritis/diarrheal disease (Howie, 19900.
15 weeks of breastfeeding can give 7 years of protection against respiratiory infections (Wilson et al, 1998)
You can't get this in a can.
Secondhand smoke does not even deserve to be in the same sentence as breastmilk.
Find More info -- HERE
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| Who Knew?? | Nov 24th. at 4:25:29 am EST
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Autumn Butterfly (Surprise, Germany) - Email Me
*NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT BREASTMILK IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR INNOCENT BYSTANDER'S DEATH!*
Oh I'm sorry Lasombra, I thought that's what you were getting at when you compared breastfeeding to second hand smoke!
Now for the article, I can't get over the fact that it was a flight attendant who was offended. These are people who have to deal with people having sex in the bathroom (and even in their seats) ! And yet she was offended that a mother was feeding her child after a two hour delay? It's not like she was walking up and down the isle forcing people to watch her child feed; she was sitting in between the window and her husband! Sounds like the flight attendant should start looking for another job...but she should avoid becoming a pet store clerk, the sight of a dog nursing her puppies might offend her; she'll have to cover them up with a blanket.
Autumn Butterfly
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| Lazy Parents | Nov 24th. at 2:22:32 am EST
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Lasombra (Columbus, Ohio) - Email Me
If I choose to smoke then I have to deal with the consequences: ie: People do not want second hand smoke! Smokers are forced outside (often in the freezing cold) .
The same logic can be applied to the breastfeeding issue.
If you choose to have a baby then you have to deal with the consequences: ie: Regardless of how "natural" it is...People do not want to see you feeding your kid. Breast feeders are forced in bathrooms (often in yucky conditions) .
This is what society as a whole agrees upon (at least here in the USA) . You do not have to like it but, you certainly have to deal with it. Just like how us non-mothers have to deal with your screaming brats. *wink*
Also, It is mentally damaging to a child to feed a child beyond 1 year!!!! It is selfish clingie crap that deludes some mothers into breast feeding beyond 1 year old. By then a child should be on some solid food.
Tough cookies!
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| Now, Let Me Get This Straight... | Nov 24th. at 12:29:24 am EST
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Lynette (Roanoke, Virginia) - Email Me
1. The flight had been delayed for more than 2 hours.
(This means that Mom probably expected to be off the flight before the baby needed to be fed, but due to THE AIRLINE'S actions was not)
2. Mom was in the window seat and her seatmate was her husband.
(I don't know about the planes on Freedom Airlines (ha!) but the local puddle jumpers that Delta contract carriers normally use are so short of leg room that only the person sitting next to you could see you anyway. Even if the passengers across the aisle were offended by a patch of breast, in order to have the offending view removed, all they had to do was NOT turn their heads and stare at the nursing Mom.)
3. The FLIGHT ATTENDANT was offended. (This is one of the people on whom your life is supposed to depend..You know,, calm cool and collected heroines of the sky? And she can't deal with some skin without throwing people off her plane?)
4. For all you worshipers of the Goddess who can't stand screaming kids...I hate to be the one to tell you ...a nursing baby has it's mouth full..They don't cry while they're nursing. By the way, you'll do a lot better for your stress levels if you learn to live with the fact of children...They aren't going away just because YOU don't like them. Never have, never will.
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| ::::Now For An Unpopular Opinion::: | Nov 23rd. at 10:22:13 pm EST
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Lasombra (Columbus, Ohio) - Email Me
As a non-parent, I am torn about the breast feeding in public.There is absolutely no problem with a woman *DISCRETLY* feeding an infant (one year old or younger) . Although, I have no problem with breasts or people talking on cell phones……I could understand how others many not want to see or deal with it. Peeing is natural but, it does not mean I should do it publicly.
I’ve met too many parents who think that *everyone* should love their little darlings. Sorry, I do not and should not have to deal with your crying little brats. Granted not all parents are this rude. I understand being real but, If your child cannot behave themselves in public then you should not take them to a nice restaurant. Yep, it does confine you to certain places but parenthood is not a glamorous thing and does not earn you special privileges. You are not special because you performed a biological function that any female animal can perform.
Be polite to others who did not make the choices you made:
Wear a nursing bra.
Cover your boob if exposed.
Keep your brats in control.
Do not expect to have a normal/single social life after squatting out a few.
Do not expect people to want to hear your two year old in a movie theater blurting out questions.
There are some restaurants that you can no longer go to.
Not everyone, everywhere, or everything should be child friendly.
Be considerate of people who do not have children.
(now for a big shocker) Not all of us females want to be mothers.
~Lasombra
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| Ban The Bottle! | Nov 23rd. at 8:22:50 pm EST
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Ben'elat (Helensburgh, New South Wales) - Email Me
To people who are offended when a mother does something as natural as feeding her hungry infant (in the only acceptable way) , I say "look away." Actually even if you aren't offended you should probably not be ogling a nursing mother's breasts.
Personally I'm offended whenever I see someone give an infant a bottle, I feel like waking up to them, shaking them and asking "Why do you hate your child?" Yes I'm probably too extreme, (and one hopes that most bottles are filled with expressed mother's milk anyway) , but I think formula is child abuse. OK in some cases the mother can't produce sufficient milk so formula does have a place. I've aso seen on a number of occasions, parents fill a bottle with Coke ... eeek!!
In any case I think it's pretty steep for parents who chose not to give their children the best start in life possible, to condem those of us who do. It's a motherhood issue, for the Goddess's sake!
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| As A Mother And A Traveller | Nov 23rd. at 5:07:20 pm EST
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Jenna (Cary, North Carolina) - Email Me
I don't like it when my kids cry and disturb others and I don't like it when others' kids do either. If there is anyway (short of letting the kid fly the plane) to keep them calm and quiet, then bring it on. I really am shocked that so many pagans are offended by the very thing they claim to worship: the nurturing power of the Goddess. I breastfed my first son for only six weeks and my second one not at all because breastfeeding drained my energy to the point where I was sleeping 16 hours a day. I really admire those women who can stick with it. Common sense tells anyone that it is the best thing to do for the baby, and it is free and convenient. I honestly don't know why anyone would have a problem with it. When we lived in San Fran, women would breastfeed on the bus and my sons would giggle abit and then quickly look at other things. What is so horrible about a woman's breast actually functioning? Anyone who is fine with watching a calf drink from his mother should have no problem with a human baby drinking from his mum. Although I certainly wouldn't want my sons who are 8 and 6 coming home from school and grabbing a drink, if it works for you then mazel tov!
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| Sent To Delta Earlier | Nov 23rd. at 9:51:22 am EST
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Ananta Androscoggin (Greene, Maine) - Email Me
Granted, that I've not had to fly anywhere since about 8 days before the 9/11 attack happened, but given the fact that a nursing mother was ejected from one of your flights, under the Freedom Airlines banner, has certainly removed any Delta Airlines or Delta subsidiary from consideration by me should I need to fly anywhere.
I find the ignorant and narrow-minded attitude of the flight attendents mentioned in the news stories to be very offensive. Given how little space there is between seats in the first place, I don't see how a blanket could have done any good for anybody in the first place. Unless, of course, the airlines condone other passengers gathering around a nursing mother's seat in order to actually see what is going on.
So, apparently, it was only the flight attendant who was bothered. I
suggest that their training in future include a recommendation to GROW UP, and stop trying to live in a fantasy world where everybody denies their humanity.
=====
And even though I checked the box for them not to bother to respond, I received this answer on the 21st. :
=====
Thank you for your message via delta.com. We are grateful for your
taking the time to share your concerns with us.
Delta Air Lines is disappointed to hear about the removal of the passenger onboard Freedom Airlines Flight 6160. As you may know, they are one of our Delta Connection partners.
Delta supports a mother's right to breastfeed her baby onboard our
aircraft. Please let me assure you that we are working with Freedom
Airlines on their investigation of this matter. Following the results of
this internal investigation, Delta will work with Freedom (a subsidiary
Mesa Air Group) to ensure that their procedures mirror Delta's service standards.
Again, thank you for contacting us. We will always welcome the
opportunity to be of service.
Your selection of Delta is appreciated, and we will always do our best to merit your confidence and support.
Sincerely,
Mark Rodgers
Online Customer Support Desk
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| I Am Appalled | Nov 23rd. at 8:12:27 am EST
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LD Wolverine (Edmonton, Ontario) - Email Me
I went to the Delta Airlines website and although there is no email address, there is a webform.
[Web LINK]
So I would like to suggest clogging their servers with polite, yet enraged, emails! I stress Polite! No use coming off like a bunch of whacko’s.
I am also greatly appalled at the attitudes of some people, both here and abroad. So much so I have tunnel vision and actually got light headed while reading some comments even here! What ever happened to a Mother's rights? What, just because she has a child she is no longer allowed to go out in public for fear that her child might cry and piss someone off? Oh My Goddess Get over yourselves. There have been crying babies in public places from the beginning of time. What makes you think you are so darned important that you cant handle a few moments, or even an hour or two, with a crying child...you know what? You used to be one too!
And as for giving a child a bottle instead of the breast. Well seeing as how they made it really hard for Mothers to bring bottles on planes, and even when they do allow them, they are only allowed one, well that simply isn’t enough. Why be leashed to a bottle? It is unsanitary since there is not a proper way to clean it after use on a plane and you are only allowed one, when the breast is always there, you dont have to worry about the milk going bad or getting contaminated, and it builds confidence and closeness to the baby?
You know what? If you don’t like it, don't friggin look. Until they make it illegal to breast feed in public, SUCK IT UP!
It is a medical, scientific and psychological FACT that breastfeeding is by far the BEST option for babies and mothers alike. It has been PROVEN to reduce, if not completely negate, the affects of post partum depression, and it gives the baby much needed antibodies and such that are critical in the first stages of life.
Next time your tender senses are "offended" by the sight of a nursing baby, I suggest you take a deeper look at that issue within yourself. For it is YOUR issue, not the Mother's. Leave her alone.
Peace out
Linda
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| I Am Always Amazed | Nov 23rd. at 12:43:00 am EST
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Ursyl (Murrysville, Pennsylvania) - Email Me
at the people who would never ever consider putting a blanket over their own heads in order to eat "in private," or who would never ever consider eating a meal in a bathroom, yet who think that it is a sign of being "considerate" for a mother to do such to her baby.
Since when was eating one of the "activities to be done in private"? And since when was simply observing an action participation? I am not participating in others' meals when I walk past the food court at the mall any more than they are participating in mine when they walk past my table.
Same with a child's nursing. Unless it's your breast in her/his mouth providing milk, trust me, you're so NOT participating.
If a blanket is required for a baby to eat in public, then restaurants had best start handing out blankets to all their patrons--out of consideration for others in the establishment of course.
In fact, I've read that in Saudi Arabia, restaurant tables are partitioned off so that women may unveil in order to eat easily. Otherwise, they must discreetly lift their face veil to put the food underneath.
Is that really the standard we wish to set for our youngest citizens???
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| Looking For Offense | Nov 22nd. at 11:49:43 pm EST
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Stormsinger (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) - Email Me
Let's look at a few points gathered from several articles on this incident:
1. The family was in the second to the last row of the plane.
2. They had already been delayed in the airport for two hours. In other words, they were just boarding the plane at the point in time when they expected to be close to landing (it was, I believe, a 2 1/2 hour flight) .
3. Removing them from the plane cost them an entire DAY of travel.
4. The attendant didn't say that other passengers were offended. She said SHE was offended. I would have her back in customer service training so fast her shoes would be whipped off. She is supposed to be trained to handle the nervous, the aggressive, the whiny and amorous, all without losing her cool. She is supposed to be able to keep passengers calm and under control if there's an inflight problem and get them out of the plane in 90 seconds or less if there's an emergency. And yet the sight of a breast-feeding baby causes her to lose any semblance of professionalism.
5. For the child-unfriendly: a breast-feeding baby or toddler is quiet and in their mother's lap. They are not running, singing, yelling, crying or otherwise interfering with anyone else. Short of making them all disappear, this is the best you are going to get. Is it worth 5 or 6 square inches of skin? You probably see more than that in half an hour at the mall.
There are a number of perfectly legal activities which may offend some people. I personally find funeral protests and people who give religious tracts to Trick-or-treaters incredibly offensive. I think there should be a weight limit for spandex, belly shirts, and low rise jeans, and that those hideous pants that hang precariously on boy's hips with the crotches around their knees should be burned en masse. However, I don't get to choose. I'm allowed to be offended; but I would be stepping over the line to shame, embarrass or humiliate a person who is doing a perfectly legal and protected activity.
Oh, and for the record, I'm a plus size, 48 years old, and nursed my daughter until she was three and a half.
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| A Seat Near The Restroom. | Nov 22nd. at 9:28:32 pm EST
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bigcat (peoria, Illinois) - Email Me
Most of my life has been involved in caring for other people, and so I made every attempt to remain single, because I wanted my life to myself. And while I personally do find kids irritating from time to time, I'm not really discriminating. I do know that as a rule, babies do better on breast milk than bottle formula and the sight of a woman breast feeding her baby isn't nearly as offensive as some other things I could readily think of. After all it's far more natural than the ridiculous sexism that is attached to it. All they need to do is set aside a place other than a bathroom to do that. Asking a baby to breastfeed in a bathroom is about as ridiculous as asking that older patrons take their meals there, because seeing them eat is offensive..
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| But How Did She Do It? | Nov 22nd. at 9:26:44 pm EST
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Christopher Blackwell (Deming, New Mexico) - Email Me
My question is how did she go about it?
Back in the days in the United States when breast feeding was common, women did cover their baby and breasts with a blanket. And this was when they wore clothing where they could open only enough to bring our the part of the breast needed for feeding. It was rather discrete and it was considered good manners.
Now if the woman just flopped the whole breast, then I can understand someone being offended. I have seen woman so this.
While I can handle seeing a breast, a great many cannot, obviously.
It would be nice if a woman could show her breasts without offending anyone, but we don't live in that kind of country yet. Knowing this to be the case, I think the mother would have been wiser to have accepted the blanket. It would not have hurt the baby and it would have kept her from being thrown off the plane.
I certainly do not think the woman should otherwise have to move anywhere else to breast feed, just show a bit of courtesy to her fellow travelers.
Now I am admittedly a geezer. But it is the same reason I will not do my ceremony sky clad in my front yard. I don't feel anything is wrong with my naked body at 61, but I am aware that not everyone else would agree with me. When dealing with people we often compromise a bit for the sake of harmony. Part of this is simple matter of courtesy.
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| Breast Feeding Isn't Gross. | Nov 22nd. at 7:54:38 pm EST
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Bookworm (Saint Paul, Minnesota) - Email Me
Breast feeding isn't any more disgusting than bottle feeding unless you think a woman's breasts and/or nipples are gross. Frankly, to me that's absurd. Go into the average American neighborhood on a really hot summer day and you'll see plenty of shirtless males with their nipples uncovered, including heavy men with breasts as big as many women's. That a woman's nipples are seen as obscene and a man's are not is just blatant sexism.
I am not a mother and emphatically do not want to be one. I don't find babies cute and frankly dislike being around small children. But at the same time, I do realize that babies and children are people too and could never support the attitudes of a lot of childfree adults. Demanding that children be prohibited from public places like restaurants or having a no-child policy in a condo complex is as wrong to me as discrimination based on race. I don't expect parents to keep their children hidden at home for my comfort, and I certainly don't expect them to feed their baby in some nasty public restroom.
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| I'm 50/50 On This | Nov 22nd. at 7:45:57 pm EST
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Lori Dake (Chicago, Illinois) - Email Me - Web
When women use the little snugly dealies where the baby just looks like he's sleeping, then I have no problem with it, but when it's blatantly obvious, then I do, especially when it's someone I don't know. (People I'm close to is still a little unnerving, but I can deal much more.)
There's nothing wrong with being modest: I don't care to see breastfeeding anymore than I do a video of Girls Gone Wild. :P And for the record, no, I chose formula for my son, not because it wasn't an option, but because I'm not comfortable with doing that.
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