I’m all for breastfeeding, yo. Even in public. Really, wherever a baby needs to eat, she should.
However, being pro-breastfeeding seems to me to be a matter of good sense. Then some woman comes along and loses her senses, and it makes you wonder.
A man in Kettering, OH (outside of Dayton) called the police after he saw a woman breastfeeding while she was driving. Not only that, but she was talking on the cell, too. There are unconfirmed reports that she was simultaneously chewing gum.
Okay, okay…all joking aside: oy vey.
The male motorist called the non-emergency number for the police and informed them that not only was this master multitasker riding with a babe in her lap, he saw her drop a few off at school, too.
Police dispatch recorded this from the man:
I tried to say something to her. She literally has the little girl on the steering wheel and I said, ‘I can’t believe you have that kid in your lap and she said, ‘You want to pop your titty out and breastfeed this kid?’ That’s what she said to me.
The police couldn’t locate the minivan, so they used the license plate number to get contact info. The officer who spoke to her said she admitted to the DWBF and said she wouldn’t deprive her child when she was hungry.
I don’t deprive my little guy, either (he may tell you differently when he’s star-ving!), but I at least pull over the vehicle! Has it been tempting to do both at once? Of course! Would I? No! If need be, I’ve had someone else drive and then curled my body over the hungry baby to feed while riding. I’ll admit it: I did not wear a seat belt at the time.
Officer Michael Burke, speaking for the department, said the they brought the statement to the city prosecutor. Genine Compton has been charged with first-degree misdemeanor of child endangering and minor misdemeanor for unlawfully restraining her child.
If convicted of the child endangering charge, Compton could face up to 180 days in jail and fined between $1,500 and $1,800, Burke said. If convicted of the unlawful restraint charge, she could be fined up to $150.
The city and the PD both say they don’t object to her BFing in public, only endangering her child.
You can check out a news clip of the story here.
Image: tuppus on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
Might want to test her breastmilk for “additional contents”. ::rolleyes::
Pullover and feed your baby. It’s not that hard. On the other hand, it’s pretty hard to nurse a dead kid.
And to think we made it this far as a species with THAT in our gene pools. Gasp.
Okay… she was plain stupid. But if they lock her up, who is going to feed that babe?
We’ve always pulled over to feed baby and I am even fearful of taking the little ones out of their seats while pulled off the road, because another car could still slam into us. I tried to find parking lots or rest areas to feed in.
I have friends who have taken baby out of the seat and sat in the back seat nursing while the car is moving. I find that incredibly stupid. Collisions happen, unrestrained bodies are much more likely to suffer life threatening injuries.
Maybe we should add to the “Buckle Up” signs with “Park to Feed”.
Yeah, I thought the same thing, Jaimie. I doubt the jail thing would happen, though. Hopefully the courts would feel the same about her and her children!
Like I said the blog. In desperate situations, I would do the lean-over babe, breast out and in his mouth. Better to put MY life in danger than his!
I also wrote a blog about BFing in public and a facebook interaction I had after I posted this blog. So strange:
http://cate-et-al.blogspot.com/2009/03/breastfeeding-freaksthe-real-problem.html