Mother defends breastfeeding baby while driving (followup on idiot)

WKYC-TV/DT Cleveland ^ | 6.17.03 | Vic Gideon

[mhking]

Mother defends breastfeeding baby while driving

Reported by Vic Gideon
POSTED: Monday, June 16, 2003 5:06:15 PM
UPDATED: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 12:20:52 PM

PORTAGE COUNTY -- A mother traveling from Detroit to Pittsburgh got into trouble in Portage County while trying to drive and breastfeed her baby at the same time.

Twenty-nine-year-old Catherine Donkers had fed the baby before she left Detroit but said her seven-month-old daughter was hungry again.

"I knew I was doing nothing wrong when I was breastfeeding her," Donkers said.

Donkers doesn't consider her actions excessively dangerous.

"I think there are lots of things we do when we put ourselves at risk, just by the very fact that I'm in a car and there's lots of car accidents every single day," she said. "I think it would be reasonable to say even that's a danger."

A truck driver apparently saw it as a danger and called the highway patrol. But Donkers wouldn't pull over for police until she got to a tollbooth.

"I've directed her to, that when she doesn't feel safe, she goes to a public place," said her husband, Brad Barnhill.

At the tollbooth, Donkers didn't give the trooper a driver's license. She instead pulled out an affidavit as identification and got cited for not having a license.

The couple also claims she did nothing wrong, saying Michigan law has an exemption to its child restraint law for nursing mothers.

They claim that since the turnpike is an interstate, drivers can follow the laws of their home state. But the highway patrol says that as long as the stop occurred in Ohio, they have to abide by Ohio laws.

The couple has done extensive research on the law and believes in a strict adherence to them. Donkers is facing child endangering and child seat violations among other charges. Her and her husband say they plan to fight all charges and will file a counter suit.

[Howlin]

That same kind of compassion could have been safely exhibited at the side of the road, with the car in park.

Didn't you read the best part? She was IN a rest area, gave the baby some applesauce, changed her diaper, and THEN started feeding her and DROVE ONTO THE INTERSTATE.

How long would it take to breast feed a seven month old baby, ten minutes?

Her errand was more important than the rest of those drivers in Ohio, doncha know!

[Dianna]

But when somebody does something that is clearly dangerous, with no regard to the safety of her baby, herself and other people, and then presumes to proclaim that she's right and everybody else is wrong, and starts picking and choosing which laws are "valid" and which ones are beneath her notice, then that's a little bit hard to take...hence the "blood

She's just a moron. I've done stupid things before, sometimes because it was easiest and sometimes I didn't realize how stupid I had been until later. But to stand in front of the world and DEFEND this?

I hope the husband comes back and gives us a list of all the other dumbshit things they do which endangers their child and others. We ought to be prepared. Does she leave the child unattended in the bath? Smoke cigarettes next to a gas pump? Fire guns in the air?

[mylife]

Let those who ride decide Fine. You guys just pay for the cleanup.

Thats a damn fine idea!

[wimpycat]

Exactly. Everybody does dumb and even dangerous things once in awhile. But grownups own up to it--sooner or later. Children are the ones who try to squirm out of it, or rationalize it.

[Howlin]

She wasn't charged with breast feeding a baby while driving.

She was arrested for not having a driver's license, a first-degree misdemeanor; failing to use a child restraint device, a minor misdemeanor; and obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor, according to the patrol. She was later charged with child endangerment.

Should we pass a law on stupidity?

Works for me.

[Dan from Michigan]

I have no idea.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"I know many states allow you to remove the child from the carseat to "tend to basic needs" like feeding..."

Now, wait a minute. You seem to be assuming that she had to remove the baby from the seat in order to breast feed her.

Pamela Anderson, Anna Nicole Smith, and Dolly Parton could do it with the kid in the backseat if they needed to.

We need a picture of the perp...in tight clothing of possible.

Does anyone know if the trucker took pictures...for evidence?

[ChemistCat]

PCJ classic. I am so glad I read this one. There really IS someone for everyone, isn't there? Even Transformers fans! Woot!

The laws of physics don't give a hang about anyone's rights...nor do the laws of probability, nor do the limits of our human reflexes and response time.

Had my bumper tapped a few weeks ago by a doofus woman who WASN'T nursing a baby, WASN'T on her cell phone...just didn't brake when she should have. No damage done. There could have been. It serves as good proof to me that even in the best of circumstances no driver is perfect. To bet one's child's life not only on one's OWN capacity to drive perfectly, but on every other driver's perfect driving, is incredibly stupid. To risk one's child's life to MAKE A POINT...is a selfishness beyond all reason.

Even if you drive perfectly, automobiles can still fail. A tire blowing while nursing a baby, or the failure of one's power brakes....

The husband should not be defending his wife's actions. But I get the feeling he put her up to it.

[dansangel]

Anyone who holds themselves above the law and superior in knowledge and intellect to everyone else is a pompous, self-righteous *blow-hard.*

I am so sick of this conceited, self-serving, phoney-baloney and his "pseudo" wife (I suppose marriage and sharing a life with one another is against their religion - two separate domiciles, two separate last names - sheesh) that I can't possibly make it through another 200 posts to the end.

His "holier-than-thou" and "better-than-thou" attitude is causing my supper to come up and believe me, he is not worth it.

They both make me sick to my stomach and worse yet - they have created a lifelong victim. I pity the baby having two pseudo-intellectual low-lifes as parents. The baby is absolutely the innocent victim here. Talk about facing life-long mental therapy.

[Mrs.Liberty]

Didn't you read the best part? She was IN a rest area, gave the baby some applesauce, changed her diaper, and THEN started feeding her and DROVE ONTO THE INTERSTATE. How long would it take to breast feed a seven month old baby, ten minutes? Her errand was more important than the rest of those drivers in Ohio, doncha know!

WHy bother pulling into a rest area to feed the baby applesauce and change it? Sounds to me like Mom has it so together while hotfooting it down the interstate at 70 MPH she might as well have spoon fed and diapered the baby while driving. These things can easily be done while the child is laying on her lap. /sarcasm

[A_perfect_lady]

And I haven't seen the husband say the airbag was disabled or that the baby was in the front seat; given the wealth of information he's using to defend his wife's senseless actions, I'll have to assume it wasn't disabled or he would have told us already. I'm SURE he knows the laws.

If she'd crashed that car, the baby would have BEEN her "airbag." Or bloodbag.

[Howlin]

Proper Child Safety Seat Use Chart Buckle Everyone. Children Age 12 and Under in Back!
	INFANTS	TODDLER	YOUNG CHILDREN
WEIGHT	Birth to 1 year at least 20-22 lbs.	Over 1 year and Over 20 lbs.-40 lbs.	Over 40 lbs. Ages 4-8, unless 4'9''.
TYPE of SEAT	Infant only or rear-facing convertible	Convertible / Forward-facing	Belt positioning booster seat
SEAT POSITION	Rear-facing only	Forward-facing	Forward-facing
ALWAYS MAKE SURE:	Children to one year and at least 20 lbs. in rear-facing seats Harness straps at or below shoulder level	Harness straps should be at or above shoulders Most seats require top slot for forward-facing	Belt positioning booster seats must be used with both lap and shoulder belt. Make sure the lap belt fits low and tight across the lap/upper thigh area and the shoulder belt fits snug crossing the chest and shoulder to avoid abdominal injuries
WARNING	All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat	All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat	All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat

[Dianna]

There was no harm.

Ok, fine. But the next time she does this and kills someone what punishment can we inflict upon her? Can we punish all the rest of you who think this is ok UNTIL she kills someone?

I've breastfed babies. While not difficult, this is a 7 month old baby. They tend to squirm. If a baby is spending 50 minutes to nurse, she is likely pulling off the breast to grin and is playing around. Babies don't drown every time they are left alone in a tub, does that mean leaving a baby alone is ok UNTIL it does actually drown?

[Howlin]

Do you strap your dogs into a dog carseat?

I do. Seriously.

And if you don't, you very well could have a dead dog one day.

[petitfour]

You have almost convinced me to never let my children in an automobile again. Nor will they walk to school. Some stupid driver could drive up on the sidewalk and plow through them. Nor will they ride their bikes to school.

[Howlin]

Judging from the story and from what her own husband said, she's been involved with the law before; of course, when you drive on an interstate highway without a driver's license and without a tag on your car, you're BEGGING to be stopped.

[A_perfect_lady]

Do they make cat car seats? I guess I should just strap the carrier in, huh?

[Howlin]

She caused no harm

What would you be saying if she HAD caused harm?

Do you not understand that some laws are PREVENTATIVE??????

And, btw, she had NO driver's license, no registration, no car tag, and more than likely no car insurance.

Is that just fine by you, too?

[Catspaw]

I still have scars from the one & only time I had an uncrated cat in my car.

[bvw]

Look, feeding a baby, breast, bottle, mush or slurpy cup while driving is not exactly great driving behavior. It is risky, but not necessarily so completely risky it should be banned. That is, a careful driver can compensate for the risk.

We take biger risks driving down dangerous roads ... there is one a mile from my house -- I avoid it. But mothers with babes in car seats drive it all the time. I can't recollect any babes have died -- but that's just a matter of time. There is a mountain on one side, a canal on the other, no shoulders, and gravel trucks rush on it to raise their trip count.

Should every mother with child who drives it be arrested? Or only those with nutty husbands?