Eyeful of breast-feeding mom sparks outrage
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nbcrusader
Blue Crack Addict
maycocksean said:
No. I was trying to frame a discussable issue on the topic of public breast feeding - trying to understand and examine the objections people have to the activity.
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Devlin said:
MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
This is what Wikipedia says. I'd still much rather swim in a pool that had breast milk in it than, uh, other things that could be in there. And how would a nursing mother get it into the pool anyway? They're not nursing in the pool.
Composition
The exact integrated properties of breast milk are not entirely understood, but the nutrient content after this period is relatively consistent and draws its ingredients from the mother's food supply. If that supply is found lacking, content is obtained from the mother's bodily stores. The exact composition of breast milk varies from day to day, depending on food consumption and environment, meaning that the ratio of water to fat fluctuates. Foremilk, the milk released at the beginning of a feed, is watery, low in fat and high in carbohydrates relative to the creamier hindmilk which is released as the feed progresses. The breast can never be truly "emptied" since milk production is a continuous biological process.
Though now it is almost universally prescribed, in the 1950s the practice of breastfeeding went through a period where it was out of vogue and the use of infant formula was considered superior to breast milk.
Some components of human breastmilk absent or deficient in pasteurized cow's milk (peptides such as cystine are destroyed by pasteurization):
* Vitamins (fat and water soluble)
* Minerals (especially Calcium, Phosphorus, and Zinc)
* Lactose (aids in Calcium absorption)
* Bile Salt Stimulated Lipase (aids in digestion of fats)
* Cystine
* Taurine
* Secretory Immunoglobulin A (sIgA)
* Lactoferrin (binds Iron and makes it unavailable to bacteria in the intestines)
* Lysozyme (breaks cell walls of bacteria in the GI tract)
* Bifidus Factor (creates more acidic stool, inhibits growth of harmful bacteria)
* Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
* Essential Fatty Acids (Linoleic, Linolenic, Arachadonic)
* Whey protein
* HIV (if mother is HIV+)
* Toxic chemicals (if mother is exposed)
o DDT
o PCB
* Alcohol (if mother drinks)
Composition
The exact integrated properties of breast milk are not entirely understood, but the nutrient content after this period is relatively consistent and draws its ingredients from the mother's food supply. If that supply is found lacking, content is obtained from the mother's bodily stores. The exact composition of breast milk varies from day to day, depending on food consumption and environment, meaning that the ratio of water to fat fluctuates. Foremilk, the milk released at the beginning of a feed, is watery, low in fat and high in carbohydrates relative to the creamier hindmilk which is released as the feed progresses. The breast can never be truly "emptied" since milk production is a continuous biological process.
Though now it is almost universally prescribed, in the 1950s the practice of breastfeeding went through a period where it was out of vogue and the use of infant formula was considered superior to breast milk.
Some components of human breastmilk absent or deficient in pasteurized cow's milk (peptides such as cystine are destroyed by pasteurization):
* Vitamins (fat and water soluble)
* Minerals (especially Calcium, Phosphorus, and Zinc)
* Lactose (aids in Calcium absorption)
* Bile Salt Stimulated Lipase (aids in digestion of fats)
* Cystine
* Taurine
* Secretory Immunoglobulin A (sIgA)
* Lactoferrin (binds Iron and makes it unavailable to bacteria in the intestines)
* Lysozyme (breaks cell walls of bacteria in the GI tract)
* Bifidus Factor (creates more acidic stool, inhibits growth of harmful bacteria)
* Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
* Essential Fatty Acids (Linoleic, Linolenic, Arachadonic)
* Whey protein
* HIV (if mother is HIV+)
* Toxic chemicals (if mother is exposed)
o DDT
o PCB
* Alcohol (if mother drinks)
MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
And what about menstruating women? 
deep
Blue Crack Addict
somebody
toss a baby on that woman
ShellBeThere
War Child
ooh, ooh...I couldn't resist putting in my own late-to-the-party two cents here!
It's an issue near and dear to my heart, not just because the breasts lie there
Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing, and truly the best thing for babies and moms and the relationship between the two. Goodness, recent stories about how extra time breastfeeding in developing countries would go a long way toward eradicating child malnutrition (breastmilk is much more nutritious than variably available rice gruel, for instance), and the tales of poor babies stuck in lebanon or wherever without formula...my heart sank and I just wished those babies were breastfed and thus in far less danger relying on mom's presence than on mom's ability to get to the right store, etc.
These issues surrounding modesty are so interesting...
I am convinced that one reason women don't breasfeed for as long or at all, to the detriment of both themselves and their babies, is the stigma associated with it. There is absolutely no way that gorgeous picture of a baby nursing, taking from the mother warmth and sustenance and love and giving her that stunning look of contentment and thankfulness and the oxytocin boost to her mental and physical well-being which comes with nursing, reflects how naked a breast needs to get in public, lol!
Breasts barely need to get uncovered to nurse in public, but yet moms sometimes feel disapproval about it, and that's just wrong. It's funny, how at this point in my life, I'm "offended" by seeing mothers feed their young babies with bottles when they have a perfectly useful pair of breasts under their arms holding the piece of plastic to their little one's lips.
And I don't think that this de-sensualizes breasts, any more than holding a bottle de-sensualizes fingers, any more than kissing your baby's cheek de-sensualizes lips. It's all about *context*, and what is being done. Getting more comfortable with breasts peeking out sometimes to nurse a baby might serve to *de-fetish-ize* breasts, but I don't think it takes away from the owner's sensuality, nor does it detract from the breast as part of the womanly sexiness package. I am so sad to hear that anyone might shy away from becoming a mother, or from breastfeeding (hmm...maybe that's another issue for women choosing not to breastfeed...), because they feel that it takes away their sexuality, or that their body becomes merely a vehicle for nutrition delivery. Indeed, as Angela Harlem indicated, *not* breastfeeding after pregnancy can very negatively affect the return to normal functioning in many arenas, including sexuality. I find it kinda gross actually when people get offended, because to me it either implies a sort of deep misogyny or a weird sexualization of a baby. Yeah, a breast is still a breast, so women will need to be discreet, but why anyone can find it more acceptable to be 'offended' by a woman tending lovingly to her babe in the best possible way than to be 'offended' by a breast or a belly or a hipbone mostly exposed in the name of fashion or hookin-up puzzles me. Milk is of no danger, even in the bleeding pool! It actually has antiseptic properties...was it on the Sopranos that I first heard about that lol?...you can squirt it in your own (that's a bit of a trick!) or your baby's eye to prevent or treat eye infections. Any Swedes out there? They breastfeed their babies longer than the rest of Europe I think and surely longer than Americans do, and I don't think they have either mass unrest due to seeing breasts in babies' mouths nor loss of sexual functioning among women who give their babies' their breasts.
I loved that portrait a couple pages back....and I agree with those who say that a couple celebs breastfeeding would be good maybe. We're such a celeb-focused culture that it can only be good if say Britney were to be photographed nursing her baby in public. Well, maybe not Britney, come to think of it...she isn't exactly the model mother. Maybe Julia Roberts or Sarah Jessica Parker or Angelina...yes, please Angelina!
I think people have a misconception about what breastfeeding moms really expect in terms of social interaction while they tend to their babies as well. My feeling is that looking away is actually desired while mom is getting baby settled in for feeding. No need to watch baby 'latch on', is my feeling. You can look discreetly away for that part. Often the baby will then nurse to sleep or have a quick snack and be done anyway--it's typically only when starting out that there's any significant boob exposure. Sure, if mom were offering a bottle then those around her could comfortably chat, make eye contact with her, look right at that little one sucking away at a rubber or silicone imitation of her nipple. The baby would be maybe looking at mom, maybe grabbing some part of her body, maybe holding only the bottle. So, that's easier for everyone to watch. But babies who take a bottle on some occasions are more likely to quit nursing earlier. If mom works and there's no alternative, then sure babies will need to use bottles at least some of the time, but if mom is doesn't want to 'offend' and so is offering a bottle "only in public", it's a recipe for an earlier end to nursing, because babes get milk easier from the bottle than from the breast (leading, many studies indicate, to greater obesity issues; and to higher rates of problems with teeth, jaw, and language development due to reduced working of the facial muscles, different orientation to the fake nipple than to the real, and increased risk of ear infections from formula use than with breastmilk) and the kind of sucking they do is different for the two.
The American Academy of Pediatricians finally started recommending *exclusive* breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and then to try to extend that to at least a year if possible (this http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/feb05breastfeeding.htm shows some of their stats, issues vis a vis breastfeeding, etc). I don't tend to be shy about possibly offending people
but I'm sure if we all were less weirded out and just fine with looking away if we felt uncomfy and didn't need to call in and rip up copies of magazines showing this lovely process American women and women the world over would be better able to nurse their babes, maintain their own health, and not feel like cows in the process (though I must say, I very much respect women who pump milk..I could never get that to work well, I needed a baby at my breast to have milk flow well, and happily was able to have that be feasible. that was the only breastfeeding-related process that made me feel, well, cowlike). Most nursing will still occur in private, where the sensuality of it as a loving touch that's sustenance and bonding at once can be indulged in, but it would be so much better for
everyone, imho, if women didn't feel like pariahs if baby gets hungry at the park or the pool or the mall.
Cheers all!
It's an issue near and dear to my heart, not just because the breasts lie there
Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing, and truly the best thing for babies and moms and the relationship between the two. Goodness, recent stories about how extra time breastfeeding in developing countries would go a long way toward eradicating child malnutrition (breastmilk is much more nutritious than variably available rice gruel, for instance), and the tales of poor babies stuck in lebanon or wherever without formula...my heart sank and I just wished those babies were breastfed and thus in far less danger relying on mom's presence than on mom's ability to get to the right store, etc.
These issues surrounding modesty are so interesting...
I am convinced that one reason women don't breasfeed for as long or at all, to the detriment of both themselves and their babies, is the stigma associated with it. There is absolutely no way that gorgeous picture of a baby nursing, taking from the mother warmth and sustenance and love and giving her that stunning look of contentment and thankfulness and the oxytocin boost to her mental and physical well-being which comes with nursing, reflects how naked a breast needs to get in public, lol!
Breasts barely need to get uncovered to nurse in public, but yet moms sometimes feel disapproval about it, and that's just wrong. It's funny, how at this point in my life, I'm "offended" by seeing mothers feed their young babies with bottles when they have a perfectly useful pair of breasts under their arms holding the piece of plastic to their little one's lips.
And I don't think that this de-sensualizes breasts, any more than holding a bottle de-sensualizes fingers, any more than kissing your baby's cheek de-sensualizes lips. It's all about *context*, and what is being done. Getting more comfortable with breasts peeking out sometimes to nurse a baby might serve to *de-fetish-ize* breasts, but I don't think it takes away from the owner's sensuality, nor does it detract from the breast as part of the womanly sexiness package. I am so sad to hear that anyone might shy away from becoming a mother, or from breastfeeding (hmm...maybe that's another issue for women choosing not to breastfeed...), because they feel that it takes away their sexuality, or that their body becomes merely a vehicle for nutrition delivery. Indeed, as Angela Harlem indicated, *not* breastfeeding after pregnancy can very negatively affect the return to normal functioning in many arenas, including sexuality. I find it kinda gross actually when people get offended, because to me it either implies a sort of deep misogyny or a weird sexualization of a baby. Yeah, a breast is still a breast, so women will need to be discreet, but why anyone can find it more acceptable to be 'offended' by a woman tending lovingly to her babe in the best possible way than to be 'offended' by a breast or a belly or a hipbone mostly exposed in the name of fashion or hookin-up puzzles me. Milk is of no danger, even in the bleeding pool! It actually has antiseptic properties...was it on the Sopranos that I first heard about that lol?...you can squirt it in your own (that's a bit of a trick!) or your baby's eye to prevent or treat eye infections. Any Swedes out there? They breastfeed their babies longer than the rest of Europe I think and surely longer than Americans do, and I don't think they have either mass unrest due to seeing breasts in babies' mouths nor loss of sexual functioning among women who give their babies' their breasts.
I loved that portrait a couple pages back....and I agree with those who say that a couple celebs breastfeeding would be good maybe. We're such a celeb-focused culture that it can only be good if say Britney were to be photographed nursing her baby in public. Well, maybe not Britney, come to think of it...she isn't exactly the model mother. Maybe Julia Roberts or Sarah Jessica Parker or Angelina...yes, please Angelina!
I think people have a misconception about what breastfeeding moms really expect in terms of social interaction while they tend to their babies as well. My feeling is that looking away is actually desired while mom is getting baby settled in for feeding. No need to watch baby 'latch on', is my feeling. You can look discreetly away for that part. Often the baby will then nurse to sleep or have a quick snack and be done anyway--it's typically only when starting out that there's any significant boob exposure. Sure, if mom were offering a bottle then those around her could comfortably chat, make eye contact with her, look right at that little one sucking away at a rubber or silicone imitation of her nipple. The baby would be maybe looking at mom, maybe grabbing some part of her body, maybe holding only the bottle. So, that's easier for everyone to watch. But babies who take a bottle on some occasions are more likely to quit nursing earlier. If mom works and there's no alternative, then sure babies will need to use bottles at least some of the time, but if mom is doesn't want to 'offend' and so is offering a bottle "only in public", it's a recipe for an earlier end to nursing, because babes get milk easier from the bottle than from the breast (leading, many studies indicate, to greater obesity issues; and to higher rates of problems with teeth, jaw, and language development due to reduced working of the facial muscles, different orientation to the fake nipple than to the real, and increased risk of ear infections from formula use than with breastmilk) and the kind of sucking they do is different for the two.
The American Academy of Pediatricians finally started recommending *exclusive* breastfeeding for the first 6 months, and then to try to extend that to at least a year if possible (this http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/feb05breastfeeding.htm shows some of their stats, issues vis a vis breastfeeding, etc). I don't tend to be shy about possibly offending people
but I'm sure if we all were less weirded out and just fine with looking away if we felt uncomfy and didn't need to call in and rip up copies of magazines showing this lovely process American women and women the world over would be better able to nurse their babes, maintain their own health, and not feel like cows in the process (though I must say, I very much respect women who pump milk..I could never get that to work well, I needed a baby at my breast to have milk flow well, and happily was able to have that be feasible. that was the only breastfeeding-related process that made me feel, well, cowlike). Most nursing will still occur in private, where the sensuality of it as a loving touch that's sustenance and bonding at once can be indulged in, but it would be so much better for
everyone, imho, if women didn't feel like pariahs if baby gets hungry at the park or the pool or the mall.
Cheers all!
Last edited:
MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
According to Drudge..
MARIE CLAIRE Magazine publishes a fake photo of ABCNEWS anchor Elizabeth Vargas -- who appears to be breastfeeding her new baby boy at the anchor desk!
The controversial photo accompanies a Q & A with Vargas in the December issue.
A source close to the anchor says Vargas' is disappointed but has a sense of humor about the whole thing.
"Elizabeth was more than happy to sit for the interview but was disturbed that the magazine would set aside basic journalistic standards to photoshop her head onto a fake image. Vargas did joke that her real baby is cuter, that she is proud to breastfeed her newborn but wouldn't do it at the anchor desk and that she wouldn't be caught dead in that ugly gold blouse!"
A MARIE CLAIRE spokesperson counters: "There isn’t a working mother who can’t relate to this image and immediately identify with the very real dilemma Elizabeth Vargas wrestled with. We do not believe anyone seriously thought she would nurse and report the news the same time! This is an image illustration and is stated so with the byline of this story. We only want to make the point that women choosing between their career and being a parent is a tough decision that we are very sensitive to. We at MARIE CLAIRE think that Vargas is a great journalist and we look forward to watching her on 20/20. We are also grateful for her interview, which we hope reaches the many women who can relate to this serious topic."
MARIE CLAIRE Magazine publishes a fake photo of ABCNEWS anchor Elizabeth Vargas -- who appears to be breastfeeding her new baby boy at the anchor desk!
The controversial photo accompanies a Q & A with Vargas in the December issue.
A source close to the anchor says Vargas' is disappointed but has a sense of humor about the whole thing.
"Elizabeth was more than happy to sit for the interview but was disturbed that the magazine would set aside basic journalistic standards to photoshop her head onto a fake image. Vargas did joke that her real baby is cuter, that she is proud to breastfeed her newborn but wouldn't do it at the anchor desk and that she wouldn't be caught dead in that ugly gold blouse!"
A MARIE CLAIRE spokesperson counters: "There isn’t a working mother who can’t relate to this image and immediately identify with the very real dilemma Elizabeth Vargas wrestled with. We do not believe anyone seriously thought she would nurse and report the news the same time! This is an image illustration and is stated so with the byline of this story. We only want to make the point that women choosing between their career and being a parent is a tough decision that we are very sensitive to. We at MARIE CLAIRE think that Vargas is a great journalist and we look forward to watching her on 20/20. We are also grateful for her interview, which we hope reaches the many women who can relate to this serious topic."
anitram said:
If she has a communicable disease, and she leaks, yes, breastmilk can infect someone. Granted, it's not likely unless someone goes up to her and licks her, mind..
At any rate, I never suggested that a woman who breastfeeds shouldn't be allowed in the pool. That's ridiculous. Why the heck would anyone do that?
As for the rest of you guys with those 'ban-women' comments, cut the histrionics, would you? Geez. Just pointing out that it COULD happen. That it IS possible. Unlikely, but possible. SO rabid over something so miniscule.
Get Over Yourselves.
yolland
Forum Moderator
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
- Messages
- 7,471
Can we avoid a replay of some of this thread's more petty prior squabbles, please?
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Dreadsox said:
Miracle of modern science?
BVS
Blue Crack Supplier
Ouch!!! Sorry man.
MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — About 30 parents and their children sat in front of an airline counter Wednesday to protest the treatment of a passenger who said she was kicked off a plane for breast-feeding her child.
Mothers breast-fed their children and held up signs during the "nurse-in."
"I just think it's unbelievable that it happened in 2006, especially in Vermont" said Lora McAllister, a Swanton mother. "It's kind of mind boggling."
Emily Gillette of Santa Fe, had complained that she was kicked off an airplane because she was nursing her baby.
A complaint against two airlines was filed with the Vermont Human Rights, although Executive Director Robert Appel said he was barred by state law from confirming the complaint. He did say state law allows a mother to breast-feed in public.
Elizabeth Boepple, a lawyer hired by Gillette, 27, confirmed that Gillette filed the complaint late last week against Delta Air Lines and Freedom Airlines. Freedom was operating the Delta commuter flight between Burlington and New York City.
A Freedom spokesman said Gillette was asked to leave the flight after she declined a flight attendant's offer of a blanket.
"I was horrified that a mother could be humiliated like that," said Caroline Beer, 34, of Burlington.
They said she wasn't being discreet enough and offered her a blanket, which she declined
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15720339/
Mothers breast-fed their children and held up signs during the "nurse-in."
"I just think it's unbelievable that it happened in 2006, especially in Vermont" said Lora McAllister, a Swanton mother. "It's kind of mind boggling."
Emily Gillette of Santa Fe, had complained that she was kicked off an airplane because she was nursing her baby.
A complaint against two airlines was filed with the Vermont Human Rights, although Executive Director Robert Appel said he was barred by state law from confirming the complaint. He did say state law allows a mother to breast-feed in public.
Elizabeth Boepple, a lawyer hired by Gillette, 27, confirmed that Gillette filed the complaint late last week against Delta Air Lines and Freedom Airlines. Freedom was operating the Delta commuter flight between Burlington and New York City.
A Freedom spokesman said Gillette was asked to leave the flight after she declined a flight attendant's offer of a blanket.
"I was horrified that a mother could be humiliated like that," said Caroline Beer, 34, of Burlington.
They said she wasn't being discreet enough and offered her a blanket, which she declined
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15720339/
Last edited:
Liesje
Blue Crack Addict
Wow, is it really so hard not to stare at someone breast feeding? They'd rather hear a hungry baby screaming the entire flight than turn away for five minutes?
BorderGirl
Acrobat
I'll just say that modesty goes a long way---just some respect for our bodies/our relationships in general.
Any breast feeding mom can throw a beautiful shawl in the diaper bag to nurture her relationship/feeding time with her baby.
To me this demonstrates a deep respect for themselves, their babies, and for those around them. Intimacy is a beautiful thing.
There is no need to involve everyone in a public breast feeding ritual.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
Any breast feeding mom can throw a beautiful shawl in the diaper bag to nurture her relationship/feeding time with her baby.
To me this demonstrates a deep respect for themselves, their babies, and for those around them. Intimacy is a beautiful thing.
There is no need to involve everyone in a public breast feeding ritual.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
I have never seen a woman breast feed a baby in public in an immodest way aka with her entire breast exposed for all to see. Never seen it personally 
(AP)A commuter airline has disciplined a flight attendant who ordered a passenger off a plane for refusing to cover herself with a blanket while breast-feeding her toddler, the airline said Friday.
Freedom Airlines spokesman Paul Skellon did not specify the discipline in an e-mail announcing the action against the employee who had Emily Gillette, of Santa Fe, N.M., removed from the plane Oct. 13 at Burlington International Airport.
Gillette, 27, said she was breast-feeding her 22-month-old daughter in a window seat in the next-to-last row, with no part of her breast showing and her husband between her and the aisle.
The flight attendant tried to hand her a blanket and told her to cover up, Gillette said. She declined, telling the flight attendant she had a legal right to nurse her daughter. Breast-feeding is protected under state law.
The case received broad news coverage this week, days after Gillette filed a complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission. On Wednesday, about 30 parents and their children protested the airline's treatment of Gillette by staging a "nurse-in" at the Burlington airport.
Skellon said that after the flight attendant ordered Gillette off the plane, the captain of the Delta Air Lines flight being operated by Freedom apologized and asked her family to reboard, but they refused.
Gillette, however, said the airline never offered her a chance to get back on board the New York-bound plane. "I would have jumped at the opportunity," she said.
Delta paid for a hotel room and rebooked the family on a different airline the next day.
(AP)A commuter airline has disciplined a flight attendant who ordered a passenger off a plane for refusing to cover herself with a blanket while breast-feeding her toddler, the airline said Friday.
Freedom Airlines spokesman Paul Skellon did not specify the discipline in an e-mail announcing the action against the employee who had Emily Gillette, of Santa Fe, N.M., removed from the plane Oct. 13 at Burlington International Airport.
Gillette, 27, said she was breast-feeding her 22-month-old daughter in a window seat in the next-to-last row, with no part of her breast showing and her husband between her and the aisle.
The flight attendant tried to hand her a blanket and told her to cover up, Gillette said. She declined, telling the flight attendant she had a legal right to nurse her daughter. Breast-feeding is protected under state law.
The case received broad news coverage this week, days after Gillette filed a complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission. On Wednesday, about 30 parents and their children protested the airline's treatment of Gillette by staging a "nurse-in" at the Burlington airport.
Skellon said that after the flight attendant ordered Gillette off the plane, the captain of the Delta Air Lines flight being operated by Freedom apologized and asked her family to reboard, but they refused.
Gillette, however, said the airline never offered her a chance to get back on board the New York-bound plane. "I would have jumped at the opportunity," she said.
Delta paid for a hotel room and rebooked the family on a different airline the next day.
Bono's shades
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
Seems to me this didn't become a "public ritual" until the flight attendant called attention to the whole situation by insisting she wasn't covered up enough. The other passengers probably weren't even aware of what was going on until that happened.
MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
By Raja Mishra, Boston Globe Staff | November 21, 2006
After waiting five hours at the Burlington, Vt., airport, Emily Gillette finally boarded a Delta commuter flight and discreetly began breast-feeding her exhausted toddler. And that's when the trouble started.
"The flight attendant said, 'You are offending me,' " Gillette recalled yesterday in a telephone interview from her home in New Mexico. "I've always breast-fed my daughter when she wants, where she wants."
After she, her husband, and 22-month-old daughter were kicked off the plane last month, Gillette, 27, filed a discrimination complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission. As word of the case spread on online mothering forums, outrage boiled.
Today, with the frantic Thanksgiving travel week underway, dozens of self-proclaimed "lactivists" plan to suckle their infants in front of Delta ticketing counters around the nation, including at Logan International Airport.
The goals of the protest are to force airlines to review their breast-feeding policies and to pressure Congress to pass protections for breast-feeding women in the workplace, said Elizabeth A. Boepple of Manchester, Vt., Gillette's lawyer and one of the protest organizers.
Delta has reprimanded the flight attendant in the Gillette case, and a spokesman has said that women can breast-feed on any Delta plane. But Gillette said she will push her case until the airline issues that policy in writing, and a spokesman said yesterday that Delta has no plans to do so.
The case is another chapter in the debate pitting nursing mothers' rights against notions of propriety. Public nudity remains largely forbidden: Janet Jackson's bared breast during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show sparked national outrage. At the same time, researchers have established that breast-feeding delivers considerable long-term health benefits for infants and mothers.
To date, 38 states have passed laws protecting a woman's right to breast-feed at restaurants, malls, and other public places. The states include Vermont, but not Massachusetts, where state lawmakers are considering such a bill.
"It's prudishness. People here confuse a simple act which is so useful with being flagrant," said state Senator Susan C. Fargo, the Lincoln Democrat sponsoring the bill. "Society's going to have to get used to it."
Fargo said she was unsure if the proposal will pass in the current legislative session, which ends in January. It remains in a Senate committee, where several earlier versions died in recent years.
"Most of the committee members have been men, and they just weren't interested," she said. "But it's not a women's issue. It's a health issue."
Repeated studies have shown that breast milk gives infants lasting protection against colds, flu, infections, and pneumonia, while possibly reducing the likelihood of obesity, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Nursing also helps mothers lose pregnancy weight quickly. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that new mothers give only breast milk for the first six months of a child's life, and says there is no evidence of harm if breastfeeding continues into a child's third year.
Nonetheless, every few months, a breast-feeding controversy seems to erupt somewhere in the United States. In July, activists protested after Victoria's Secret stores in Massachusetts and Wisconsin kicked out women for breast-feeding. Last year, Barbara Walters said on ABC's "The View" that a breast-feeding woman on a flight she had taken made her feel awkward. Activists, with babies in tow, showed up in force outside ABC News headquarters in New York City days later.
Gillette, who lives in Espanola, N.M., said she had taken at least two-dozen flights during which she breast-fed her daughter, River. On Oct. 13, she was flying from Burlington to New York on Freedom Airlines, a Delta commuter affiliate required to follow Delta's policies.
When Gillette started breast-feeding as the plane sat at the gate, the female flight attendant, who has not been named by Delta, demanded that Gillette cover up with a blanket. Gillette said that she was in the rear of the plane at a window seat, with her shirt covering most of her breast.
"I said I would not put a blanket over my child's head," Gillette said. "The next thing we know, there was a Delta ticket agent standing over us. I was just shocked."
Delta provided her family with a hotel room that night and another flight to New York the next day. "Delta called back a few days later and said it does not take responsibility for this," Gillette said.
Delta has until Nov. 27 to respond to her complaint to the human rights commission. If the case is not settled, the commission must consider whether to file a civil lawsuit against the airline.
"Delta as an airline fully supports mothers' rights to breast-feed babies on the aircraft," airline spokesman Anthony Black said yesterday. "We regret the decision that had the passenger removed from that flight, as it was not in keeping with our high service standards."
The company that owns Freedom Airlines, Mesa Air Group Inc., issued a statement saying it supported the right to breast-feed on flights.
After waiting five hours at the Burlington, Vt., airport, Emily Gillette finally boarded a Delta commuter flight and discreetly began breast-feeding her exhausted toddler. And that's when the trouble started.
"The flight attendant said, 'You are offending me,' " Gillette recalled yesterday in a telephone interview from her home in New Mexico. "I've always breast-fed my daughter when she wants, where she wants."
After she, her husband, and 22-month-old daughter were kicked off the plane last month, Gillette, 27, filed a discrimination complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission. As word of the case spread on online mothering forums, outrage boiled.
Today, with the frantic Thanksgiving travel week underway, dozens of self-proclaimed "lactivists" plan to suckle their infants in front of Delta ticketing counters around the nation, including at Logan International Airport.
The goals of the protest are to force airlines to review their breast-feeding policies and to pressure Congress to pass protections for breast-feeding women in the workplace, said Elizabeth A. Boepple of Manchester, Vt., Gillette's lawyer and one of the protest organizers.
Delta has reprimanded the flight attendant in the Gillette case, and a spokesman has said that women can breast-feed on any Delta plane. But Gillette said she will push her case until the airline issues that policy in writing, and a spokesman said yesterday that Delta has no plans to do so.
The case is another chapter in the debate pitting nursing mothers' rights against notions of propriety. Public nudity remains largely forbidden: Janet Jackson's bared breast during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show sparked national outrage. At the same time, researchers have established that breast-feeding delivers considerable long-term health benefits for infants and mothers.
To date, 38 states have passed laws protecting a woman's right to breast-feed at restaurants, malls, and other public places. The states include Vermont, but not Massachusetts, where state lawmakers are considering such a bill.
"It's prudishness. People here confuse a simple act which is so useful with being flagrant," said state Senator Susan C. Fargo, the Lincoln Democrat sponsoring the bill. "Society's going to have to get used to it."
Fargo said she was unsure if the proposal will pass in the current legislative session, which ends in January. It remains in a Senate committee, where several earlier versions died in recent years.
"Most of the committee members have been men, and they just weren't interested," she said. "But it's not a women's issue. It's a health issue."
Repeated studies have shown that breast milk gives infants lasting protection against colds, flu, infections, and pneumonia, while possibly reducing the likelihood of obesity, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Nursing also helps mothers lose pregnancy weight quickly. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that new mothers give only breast milk for the first six months of a child's life, and says there is no evidence of harm if breastfeeding continues into a child's third year.
Nonetheless, every few months, a breast-feeding controversy seems to erupt somewhere in the United States. In July, activists protested after Victoria's Secret stores in Massachusetts and Wisconsin kicked out women for breast-feeding. Last year, Barbara Walters said on ABC's "The View" that a breast-feeding woman on a flight she had taken made her feel awkward. Activists, with babies in tow, showed up in force outside ABC News headquarters in New York City days later.
Gillette, who lives in Espanola, N.M., said she had taken at least two-dozen flights during which she breast-fed her daughter, River. On Oct. 13, she was flying from Burlington to New York on Freedom Airlines, a Delta commuter affiliate required to follow Delta's policies.
When Gillette started breast-feeding as the plane sat at the gate, the female flight attendant, who has not been named by Delta, demanded that Gillette cover up with a blanket. Gillette said that she was in the rear of the plane at a window seat, with her shirt covering most of her breast.
"I said I would not put a blanket over my child's head," Gillette said. "The next thing we know, there was a Delta ticket agent standing over us. I was just shocked."
Delta provided her family with a hotel room that night and another flight to New York the next day. "Delta called back a few days later and said it does not take responsibility for this," Gillette said.
Delta has until Nov. 27 to respond to her complaint to the human rights commission. If the case is not settled, the commission must consider whether to file a civil lawsuit against the airline.
"Delta as an airline fully supports mothers' rights to breast-feed babies on the aircraft," airline spokesman Anthony Black said yesterday. "We regret the decision that had the passenger removed from that flight, as it was not in keeping with our high service standards."
The company that owns Freedom Airlines, Mesa Air Group Inc., issued a statement saying it supported the right to breast-feed on flights.
Liesje
Blue Crack Addict
Ten bucks says the attendant was offended by the age of the baby and not by breast feeding in general. There's another cultural "norm" that needs work - assuming it's gross to breast feed beyond six months.
deep in HELL
The Fly
MrsSpringsteen said:
oh my eyes
my eyes
speedracer
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2001
- Messages
- 7,604
Breasts are a lot like computer games.
They are intended for the kids, but the fathers always end up playing with them.
[ducking rotten fruit]
They are intended for the kids, but the fathers always end up playing with them.
[ducking rotten fruit]
Liesje
Blue Crack Addict
Devlin said:
huh?
Billy Rotten
Acrobat
The magazine cover is both tasteful and discreet. I agree with many posters that the U.S. is too uptight about issues such as this and at the same time too sexualized in its media.
Hearing how many Iraqi civilians have been killed today or how many people have died from AIDS or Malaria - now THAT'S offensive.
Hearing how many Iraqi civilians have been killed today or how many people have died from AIDS or Malaria - now THAT'S offensive.
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