A Public Apology
November 17, 2006 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under activism, law, nursing in public, toddler nursing, travel
Mesa Air Group (which operates as US Airways Express, Delta Connection, and United Express) has issued a press release that sounds a little more like the apology I expected:
“So there is no confusion, I would like to let folks know that we firmly support mothers’ right to nurse their children on board our aircraft. We have no company policies whatsoever that hinder breastfeeding in any way,” said Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “In this instance, a flight attendant who was relatively new to her job made an unfortunate and incorrect decision. We would like to again offer our apologies to the family involved in this incident and reassure our passengers and the traveling public that this matter has been addressed as a training opportunity for all of our frontline employees,” continued Mr. Ornstein. “As the father of two children, I understand the sensitive nature of this incident and would like to express my commitment to educating our employees on this topic.”
To catch up on the story of the woman booted off a Delta flight for nursing without covering up, see National Nurse-In Planned.
This airline stewardess may be representative of many young people who have had no positive exposure to breastfeeding. The Los Angeles Unified School District used to bring in cows to demonstrate “milking” to the elementary students, but be assured, there would never be a program or even literature, or even a discussion in a health class about the positive aspects of breastfeeding. Our society has a lot of work to do, and kudos to all of you who are doing just that with your web sites, letters, and sharing your experiences.
I love the story about the cows! My pre-schooler has been to a farm and milked the cows, an experience she thought was quite funny. She already knows about breastfeeding though, and it would be nice if all children got such an education!
I wonder who is that Stewardess and if she got fired or not…because she deserves it.