Nursing mom says plane kicked her off

Yahoo ^ | 11/15/06

[Mr. Brightside]

Nursing mom says plane kicked her off

Wed Nov 15, 1:22 PM ET

BURLINGTON, Vt. - A woman who claims she was kicked off an airplane because she was breast-feeding her baby has filed a complaint against two airlines, her attorney said.

Emily Gillette, 27, of Santa Fe, N.M., filed the complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission late last week against Delta Air Lines and Freedom Airlines, said her attorney, Elizabeth Boepple. Freedom was operating the Delta flight between Burlington and New York City.

Gillette said she was discreetly breast-feeding her 22-month-old daughter on Oct. 13 as their flight prepared to leave Burlington International Airport. She said she was seated by the window in the next-to-last row, her husband was seated between her and the aisle and no part of her breast was showing.

A 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 breast-feed her baby.

Moments later, a Delta ticket agent approached and said the flight attendant had asked that the family be removed from the flight, Gillette said. She said she didn't want to make a scene and complied.

"It embarrassed me. That was my first reaction, which is a weird reaction for doing something so good for a child," Gillette said Monday.

A Freedom spokesman said Gillette was asked to leave the flight after she declined the blanket.

"A breast-feeding mother is perfectly acceptable on an aircraft, providing she is feeding the child in a discreet way," that doesn't bother others, said Paul Skellon, spokesman for Phoenix-based Freedom. "She was asked to use a blanket just to provide a little more discretion, she was given a blanket, and she refused to use it, and that's all I know."

A complaint against two airlines was filed with the Vermont Human Rights Commission, although Executive Director Robert Appel said he was barred by state law from confirming the complaint. He said state law allows a mother to breast-feed in public.

The Vermont Human Rights Commission investigates complaints and determines whether discrimination may have occurred. The parties to a complaint are given six months to reach a settlement. If none is reached, the commission then decides whether to go to court. A complainant can file a separate suit in state court at any time.

[raybbr]

Legal right to breast-feed? What amendment does that one fall under?

What kind of cretin would refuse a mother the right to feed her child?

[raybbr]

As I said before, ask Pope BXVI if he wants to see you nursing a child at a Vatican audience in Rome. Wanna bet what he's say?

I bet he would consider that a gift from God. What do think Jesus would have done if he had seen a nursing mother during one of his sermons?

Do you really think he would have been offended?

[rlmorel]

You are a crusader and an ideologoue for what you believe in, and because of that, you cannot and will not see an opposing point of view. I guarantee you do not, and will never see the situation from the side of those you disparage.

I think you are wrong, and it has nothing, repeat NOTHING whatsoever to do with breastfeeding. It has everything to do with the consideration towards those who may not be as sophisticated and enlightened as you.

[Mad Dawg]

Well, our guy would have fit in the pro-life, pro-family category, fer shur. It's still interesting, and there is certainly an ideological component to all this -- which leads to bad science, I fear.

[Texas Mom]

Anyone who has nursed knows that by 22 months (which still is a reasonable age to nurse, most doctors encourage it through 24 months minimum) a child is not going to remain covered with a blanket and the ensuing fights with the child are going to be more distracting than the actual act of nursing. The mother knew what would be the most discreet, her husband was sheilding her, she was sitting in the window seat in the second to last row.

If she was being so discreet how did the flight attendant notice it? Maybe doctors recommend breast feeding till 24 months but at this age I am sure the child is on table food and regular drinks. This could have been used at this time.

My opinion is the Mom was being a jerk.

Once the kid gets teeth and is old enough to unbutton her blouse it's time to ween the little one, or do this in privacy.

[Mad Dawg]

And you better believe no priest nor pastor would want to see women nursing their children in the middle of their Sunday church services.

Speaking as a former pastor, it wouldn't bother me. I'd look at whether it was bothering other memberes of the congregation and then try to figure out if maybe I thought they needed to be bothered.

Why is this conversation full of assertions of opinion masquerading as fact? This seems to be an issue which brings out the worst in people.

[Texas Mom]

What kind of cretin would refuse a mother the right to feed her child?

This was NOT an infant it was a toddler. There could be other things on the menu for the little one.

I breast fed both my babies but once they weren't babies anymore they learned to drink from a cup and use a fork or spoon.

[Atlas Sneezed]

How does an airline have the right to force anyone to use a blanket?

---

It's their airline. They have the right to ask that people not wear clothes displaying crude messages, too.

They are wisely protecting the sensibilities of their most sensitive passengers who might fined publicly bared breasts offensive, no matter the purpose. The might be a minority, and we might disagree with them, but they exist, and the airline that courts them as passengers is wise to have policies that keep people out of each other's faces.

[Atlas Sneezed]

People should not care if a woman is covered while nursing or not.

---

Yet as you implicitly admit, some people DO care. Which is why the airline has a modesty policy. The airline is in business to make money, not to promote your view of societal change.

[Atlas Sneezed]

What I find crazy is that posters here will fall all over themselves when some one suggests that libraries should not carry porn or have porn accessable by internet. But heaven forbid a woman nurse.

---

There is a critical conservative principle that guides the difference. Can you find it?

[raybbr]

I breast fed both my babies but once they weren't babies anymore they learned to drink from a cup and use a fork or spoon.

I didn't know that you had set the standard for child rearing. I didn't know that all babies and toddlers were to be raised alike. I didn't know that personal choice in child rearing had been standardized.

I bet you and Hillary (it takes a village) would agree.

[raybbr]

Gillette said she was seated in the second-to-last row, next to the window, when she began to breast-feed her daughter. Breast-feeding helps babies with the altitude changes through takeoff and landings, Gillette said. She said she was being discreet -- her husband was seated between her and the aisle -- and no part of her breast was showing.

Gillette said that's when a flight attendant approached her, trying to hand her a blanket and directing her to cover up. Gillette said she told the attendant she was exercising her legal right to breast-feed, declining the blanket. That's when Gillette alleges the attendant told her, "You are offending me," and told her to cover up her daughter's head with the blanket.From here.

Jeez, another one that thinks sitting all the way in the back next to the window is offending the whole plane. You'll notice that the only person "offended" was a flight attendant. It doesn't say if it was a man or a woman. My guess is it was a "man" attendant whose mommy ignored him as a child.

[Atlas Sneezed]

all women should wear burkas ... least anyone be offended by sight of any exposed body parts.

---

When you start your own airline, you should adopt that policy if you think it is what most of your customers prefer.

That would be the CONSERVATIVE thing.

Imposing your personal views on another airline is a liberal thing.

[Balding_Eagle]

Posters who use a lie for a basis of argument are an irritant to me and a disservice to the conservative cause.

As I said up thread, willful ignorance is in the stronghold of the Left, and something you evidently have chosen to sign on to.

I'm done with you, if I want to argue with liars I can do that over at DU.

[mockingbyrd]

"there is no reason on earth she should still be drinking formula."

Except that breastmilk is superior to formula, which is why every formula commericial mentions that breastmilk is best. Formula does nothing for the prevention of allergies, as breastmilk does. If allergies run in the family, one of the best ways to prevent passing them on to your child in extended nursing. Its really not your place to be telling a mother why her child should not be nursing. Especially when the baby isn't yet two.

[mockingbyrd]

My passion on this issue has absolutely everything to do with the general revulsion with which society treats motherhood and the various ways society will attempt to undermine it.

To me, this is just another front in the battle against the culture of death. You don't have to like breastfeeding, but you don't have to attack, make crude comments and relegate women who choose to do so to dirty bathrooms. I don't think this would be such an issue if society would recognize that a women is created to be mother, not an outlet for man's sexual gratification. This seems to be the problem, if the boobies aren't for my eyes, and my enjoyment, then get them out of my sight. Never mind the primary function of them, is nutrition for a child.

It's odd that you talk about me disparaging others, and looking down on them. I am trying to protect motherhood. Others here are making crude and crass comments, gross generalizations about all nursing mothers, decreeing when and where and for how long children they have never met should nurse, and I'm the ideologue? The one who trys to defend a mother's duty to care for a child, not tear her down for trying. Mothers are constantly under attack in society, and there are plenty of well intentioned persons who are so adjusted to these attacks they fail to recognize them anymore.

[JockoManning]

What?!?

A mama feeding her baby is treated like a crime? But every indecent thing is overlooked?

Talk about calling good evil and evil good.

[Boxsford]

Yeah, maybe there should be a law against nursing mothers and their children created for people like you and your assine opinions.

Your ignorance is astounding.

[Kaylee Frye]

Haha, nice. AND she's real testy... Hmmm.... ;)

[nmh]

"So, why are they doing it? It's some form of exhibitionism on their part, some kind of look at me, "

RIGHT ON!

There is NO modesty or discreetness involved. If there were, you wouldn't be noticing. Rational Moms WANT the privacy that another room offers. They don't want to entertain people with nursing or offend them.