Posted on 02/12/2007 11:33:47 AM PST by Michael.SF.
SANTA ANA - A woman who was forced to throw away her breast milk at an airport this month is fighting to change the way nursing mothers are treated in the changing world of high-security travel.
Airport security agents in Las Vegas earlier this month banned Rachel Popplewell of Capistrano Beach from bringing her breast milk on a flight to California because she didn't have her baby with her.
Popplewell, who says she followed all the rules for bringing liquids on a plane, sent a written complaint to the Transportation Security Administration, which oversees airport screening.
"You should be allowed to carry it, and you should be treated like a human being who is feeding your child," Popplewell said.
A spokesman for the federal agency said he had not seen a record of the incident.
"If she had exactly what was required, I don't understand what happened," Nico Melendez said. "It should not have happened. Please accept our apology."
Popplewell, a marketing director, flew to Las Vegas for a one-day business trip to a footwear trade show. While there, she used her breast pump to collect 6 ounces of milk, which she planned to bring home to her 9-month-old son, Mason.
Popplewell divided the milk into two 3-ounce bottles and placed the bottles in a zip-top plastic bag, as stipulated by security regulations. But when Popplewell, 40, told a screener at McCarran International Airport what was in the bottles, she was forced to throw her milk away.
The TSA has restricted carry-on liquids since last summer after an incident in England alleged to have been a terrorism plot involving liquid explosives. Liquids must be in 3-ounce containers, which must be in plastic bags.
(Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com ...
All of that is understood and irrelevent. The little tyke was being feed while she was gone and she was only gone for eight hours. But, as I stated, she did follow the rules and TSA does appear to be out of line on this one.
The baby was not with her.
Every time I go through such a screening I get a disturbing image in my head of 19 guys in hell laughing at our goofiness in the way we confiscate breast milk and grandma's water bottle. I used to enjoy air travel. Now it feels like defeat.
LOL...
I was never a Guernsey like my next door neighbor in the milk producing department, but I know if I wanted to up my production, I'd just express more milk, and voila, in the next few hours, I'd be producing more milk.
Six ounces doesn't seem like much production to me. And, yes, unless it was frozen or in a cooler, it doesn't seem like it's something I'd be wanting to give to my kid.
Plus you forgot that babies are politically incorrect anyway.
"Seems she was obeying the rules and they still stopped her. "
The plastic baggies are not meant for beverages, but for medical, hygenic, and cosmetic gels and liquids. If that were true, people would be slipping bottles of water, cans of coke, or containers of coffee inside those plastic bags to get them past security.
"The baby was not with her."
If the baby was with, she can bring aboard a reasonable amount of her expressed milk that can be consumed by the baby on that flight (just not carry it in the plastic baggie). The rules are clearly posted online and at the airport itself. I won't comment on the logic of the rules, but just say that there is no excuse to not learn them or to complain when everyone follows the same set of rules.
What bugs me is that the rules vary wildly outside the US and are inconsistent with TSA even though they say they are the same. Sometimes they are much worse and sometimes they are more lax. Sometimes they don't follow their own rules, but you don't want to make a stink about it overseas. They already hate you for being an American.
C'mon, everyone knows that breast milk is a very volatile liquid!
From the TSA:
"If you’re not traveling with a baby or toddler, any formula or breast milk you’re carrying must meet the requirements for carrying liquids, gels and aerosols (3-1-1)."
"From the TSA:
"If you’re not traveling with a baby or toddler, any formula or breast milk you’re carrying must meet the requirements for carrying liquids, gels and aerosols (3-1-1)."
Correct, but it can and should be carried separately from those other gels and liquids because the TSA will examine it separately. Also that way it doesn't count against you when you carry your little baggie of hygenic supplies on board. When I carry on board a 6 oz bottle of contact lens solution it must be separate from the baggie of toothpaste deoderant, etc. and shown to a TSA agent. Some mark it on my boarding card as an extra allowed liquid and some don't. I don't think they have a rule specific as to how they indicate your are carrying extra liquids, but you still should follow the rule of showing it otherwise they may pull you out of line. I've seen them pull out women for having full size shampoo bottles for a pat down on a couple of occasions.
Just wait, they'll ban those too.
Back when I grew up that was a normal way for a mother to feed her baby. Even in public. Nobody thought anything about it. Wasn't a good idea to stand and stare though or some gentleman just might close your eyes for you. Even if he didn't know the woman. Men respected woman more back then than now.
Too many people today spend most of their time looking something to be offended by.
Ten bucks says that back when you grew up, breast-feeding mothers made an attempt at discretion. I always thought that was why mothers carried around those teensy blankets that they never wrapped the babies in.
Now we're liable to see Junior, the (um) dispenser, any tattoos Mom might have felt she needed, and a good deal of whatever foundation garment she deemed appropriate this morning.
Except that she wasn't feeding her child.
From the article:
Popplewell divided the milk into two 3-ounce bottles and placed the bottles in a zip-top plastic bag, as stipulated by security regulations. But when Popplewell, 40, told a screener at McCarran International Airport what was in the bottles, she was forced to throw her milk away.
It sounds to me like she was carrying them separately from other liquids/gells.
Wouldn't she have to bring the baby for that to happen?
Doesn't matter. See: post #30
She was following TSA rules for carrying breast milk without a child.
True, however, let's not forget the case of the flying waitress stewardess flight attendant who got bent at the sight of a nursing mother. She would seem to be in a Catch-22 situation. (Or Catch-36DD, as the case may be.)
Breast milk is much better sucked from the source.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.