Delta Kicks Breastfeeding Mom off an Airplane

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "Donna, MomsRising"
To: Meagan Johnson
Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2006 1:18:29 PM
Subject: Delta kicks breastfeeding mom off plane! Sign the petition now!

Dear MomsRising member - I almost got kicked out of a Flower & Garden Show for nursing my son ten years ago, but that pales in comparison to actually getting kicked off an airplane--as happened recently to a mother on a Delta Airlines flight in Vermont.

She was sitting on an airplane nursing her child in a next-to-last row window seat with her husband beside her (in other words, she was in a discreet location), when a flight attendant offered her a choice: Cover herself and her child with a blanket, or get off the plane. She declined the blanket, and was escorted off the plane.

MSNBC quotes her as saying, “It embarrassed me. That was my first reaction, which is a weird reaction for doing something so good for a child.”

SIGN THE PETITION TO DELTA AIRLINES AND CONGRESS: Tell Delta Airlines to get a clue and be supportive of breastfeeding mothers. And tell Congress it’s time to pass the Breastfeeding Promotion Act, which amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect breastfeeding mothers. Clearly this law is needed now!

*Click here to sign on to the petition (and then forward this e-mail on to friends so they can sign too): http://www.momsrising.org/breastfeeding-petition

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: The action Delta Airlines took flies in the face of what the medical profession and the government agree is best for mothers and children. In fact, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) actively advocates breastfeeding and states on their website that the, “CDC is committed to increasing breastfeeding rates throughout the United States and to promoting optimal breastfeeding practices.” And, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services leads a National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign to promote breastfeeding, and notes on their website that, “The longer a mom and baby breastfeeds, the greater the benefits are for both mom and baby.” *Interested in knowing more? Read why the American Academy of Pediatrics advocates breastfeeding by clicking here: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/feb05breastfeeding.htm

That’s some heavy evidence. So why was that mother publicly humiliated for doing what doctors, and even large government agencies, advocate?

SIGN NOW: Sign the petition (and then forward this e-mail on to friends so they can sign on to): http://www.momsrising.org/breastfeeding-petition

And feel free to also give the CEO of Delta Airlines a jingle (and a piece of your mind): Gerald Grinstein, Delta CEO, at (404) 715-2600—you’ll need to press 0 for the operator. While you’re at it, you might want to contact Lee Macenczak, Executive Vice President and Chief of Customer Service at the same number.

Best – The MomsRising Team

p.s. Got a breastfeeding story of your own to share? After you sign on (and pass along the petition to friends by forwarding this e-mail) please share your own breastfeeding tales of triumph and embarrassment with us online at www.MomsRising.org -- get there by scrolling down the homepage to the blog section, and then click on the Share Your Breastfeeding Tales blog—you can add your story when you click on that blog.