Mamas boycotting Delta over breastfeeding brouhaha

I just returned from a 'nurse-in' protest supporting Emily Gillette in her case against Delta/"Freedom" Airlines for kicking her off a plane for nursing. The turn out at the Burlington VT Airport was great - moms, babies, kids, dads, and nurses, held signs like "Don't insult me" and "Don't be a pervert, nursing is legal and necessary." There should be coverage in Burlington's Free Press newspaper tomorrow. Make a stand! Its worth it.

Yea for the breastfeeding Mama. I too will block out
Delta from my "flying list". The attendant should be
ashamed of herself...guess she's never been a mom or
wants to be...which is good. Moms like her kids don't
need. I hope every woman boycotts this anti-woman
airline.

I think that is good woman should not be doing this in public. It might be human nature but so is sex do we do that waiting on the runway of an airplane. This is a bunch of feminists trying to be important or think they are. Yes I am a female and a business owner and successful but woman like this are embarrassing.

The airline did the right thing. If you want to feed your baby, do it in private. Asking her to cover up was not unreasonable; refusing to do so was.

The article left out that the lady was sitting in the second to last row window seat and her husband was sitting in the aisle. They were about as far out of sight as possible during this episode. Right is right but she was not in the center of the plane clearly visible to all... fyi...

I don't ask you to cover your head with a blanket when you are eating, why should my baby! The airline is wrong!!! There are laws that protect breastfeeding (which is absured that we even need them). I am ashamed of women that do not support the most natural and healthful way of taking care of babies. Lastly, even if you do not like breastfeeding, would you rather have a baby on a flight screaming because his ear are hurting, breastfeeding a baby eliminates the crying baby while flying.

I hope this nation will eventually get it.

2 things: typical of delta ops for yrs is this uncaring/unsustomer attitude;'you don't need a blanket to be discrete (sounds more like inexperience attendant or her problem). Breastfeeding is the healthiest thing you can do for a child based on solid scientific evidence. I think the appropriate response to Delta is obvious across the country, both personal and corporate I(would be interesting if women/wives put pressure on their corporately employed spouses to fly airlines which value mothers.

Whether or not you're offended or aroused by a child EATING is irrelevant. The fact is nothing illegal was going on; she has a legal right to feed her child whenever and wherever she likes. In public. Breastfeeding is not perverse.

Here I sit reading these comments with my 16-month old daughter at my Breast. My Husband is a Pilot for Delta Airlines and he is abhorred by this event. And what disgusts me is the notion that feeding your child is viewed or perceived as a "Sexual" act. The biological purpose of breasts is to FEED children. I spent more time than I can justify trying to be "discreet" while I attempted to feed my first child in public. All while putting Others' feelings above my child's. Now, if someone feels uncomfortable because they happened to catch a glimpse of my areola...well, that is an issue they can take up with their sexually repressed Self.

Count me in as a breastfeeding mama of a 17th month old baby... I cannot believe they went so far as to escort this woman for feeding her baby OFF the plane... That is insane... And noting #6 comment that they were in the back of the plane is just nuts... Bad bad move on the flight attendants part...

I personally do cover up when FEEDING my baby in public, but it is very easy to feed your baby WITHOUT a blanket and still be discreet...

This country needs to get their politically correct head out of their a** and realize which battles to pick... Breatfeeding mamas should not be targets; I have never understood this argument; and business women who think women like the one in this article are "embarrassing" have a very interesting take on what is truly important in life...

Comparing sex in public to nursing in public is nothing short of ignorant; the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another, and prove the point that those who continue to make that analogy have something wrong with them...

Excellent article, Sarah... Thanks for getting me fired up today!

By the way, I'm not the Michele in post #8, LOL... Just saw that we spell our names the same!! I'm the Michele who is usually complaining about eBay, LOL...

Looks like we also type the same!!! :)

As the mother in question (Emily Gillette) I wanted to hop on line after reading the article and comments and say "thank you" to every person out there that has taken an interest in this story and been proactive in getting their voices heard. I am personally touched by the nurse-in this morning.
To all the women that posted on this sight, who are antibreastfeeding: I feel sorry for you that you will never know what it feels like to be able to feed your child anywhere at any time; that you will never know the bond that comes with nursing; and that you spend your time judging one of the most amazing human functions (one that every health organization across the world supports and promotes as the healthiest beginning for any child)
thank you for your support.

Emily, keep on keepin' on! This kind of thing happens to women all the time, and it is so humiliating. My friend Chris and I started a little group called MomMA (mom's milk anywhere - http://www.momsmilkanywhere.org) after she had a similar experience in a grocery store here in Portland, OR. She went to the press, and it was amazing the vitriol that was spewed her way (but there were also hundreds of women who wrote letters to support her and shared their own stories of public breastfeeding humiliation). Can't wait to see you on Good Morning America tomorrow! Don't let the negative comments get you down - you are doing something very important for all of us nursing moms!

Whether some of you disagree with breast feeding in public is immaterial: what Delta did was a violation of Vermont law. It is equally irrelevant whether Emily was discreet (which she was, in spades!) or not: Vermont's statute has no discretionary requirement, it simply states, "a mother may breastfeed her child in any place of public accomodation in which the mother and child would otherwise have a legal right to be." The airplane meets the definition of a place of public accomodation where Emily and her child had a legal right to be. A final note, the Good Morning America interview will not be aired tomorrow. Look for it sometime next week.

As the nursing mom who organized the nurse-in, I am so gratified and thrilled that Emily heard about our gesture of support! Believe me, you were in our thoughts and hearts today at the airport. Our hope is that no family has to go through what you did, just for taking care of your baby. Of course, seeing some of these comments and some of the vitriol that has arisen in response to the article in our local paper, I'm thinking we have a long way to go.

How sad that we can't have more respect and compassion for one another as we go about this most difficult task of parenting. And how frustrating that we're so hung up about women's bodies in this country that the most basic thing we can do--nurse our young (we're MAMMALS for god's sake)--gets attacked and debased. I shouldn't be surprised. After all, women's bodies have been politicized for all kinds of reasons.

It's nobody's business whether we nurse or how long we nurse or why we nurse. No breastfeeding mom I know is interested in being ogled or leered at. We're interested in taking care of our children in the best way we know how. And I, for one, will continue to do just that, in public, in private, in my home, and out among people who might be offended. Rock on, nursing mamas!

I just have to add, I am not a Mom, but I am a frequent flyer, I see Mom's do things that Dad's simply cannot do, that's so natural, so easy, and so harmless to others and that's breastfeed. And if people can't stop and get over themselves then that is tough and too bad. Last time I checked it was legal, now I can see if the lady was completely naked, come on people get a life!!! It's a baby! Put a blanket over your own head if you don't want to see it. You were baby once before! Remember that! Can't wait to see Good Morning America! Thank you soooo much for the outstanding article today!

To Patty #13:

How on earth are you going to find a private place to nurse on an airplane??? Don't tell me "in the bathroom", not only is it dirty and probably too croweded anyway, the plane was about to take off so all passengers had to be in their seats. In an airplane, the aisle is "public space" and sitting in your seat is as close to "private space" as you can get.

I am flying Delta in a few weeks to go visit back home. I will be flying alone with my 3 1/2 year old and my 10 month old, who is still exclusively breast-fed. After hearing this story, I thought about canceling my flight, but then I thought it would be better to go and nurse on the plane in protest. Emily, I will be thinking of you, as well as every other mother who has been harassed for taking care of her child. Shame on all of you who take issue with providing a baby the best nurishment possible.

A question for Patty Kelly - you state that moms should feed their babies in private. Do you require the same thing for bottle-feeding moms? I'm guessing no. If bottle-feeding moms don't have to cover their babies with blankets, then nursing moms shouldn't have to either. Also, let's remember that this isn't all about moms - it's about babies and their right to eat the best thing for them whenever they need to.

As was already mentioned, there is no "private" area in a plane. And the plane was three hours late so what is the kid supposed to do? Just be hungry for another few hours?

Regardless of those issues, breastfeeding is protected by law. The mother's right to feed her baby supersedes an onlooker's right to stare at the mother's breasts. If you don't like it, don't look. It's really that simple.