Oregon mothers nurse babies as show of support for traveler

PORTLAND - Up to 40 mothers nursed their infants near a Delta Air Lines ticket counter at Portland International Airport today, a show of solidarity for a woman ejected from a flight for refusing to cover herself while breast-feeding.

They were part of a series of demonstrations at major U.S. airports. On Oct. 13, Emily Gillette and her family were taken off a commuter flight in Vermont when she refused to cover herself while breast-feeding her daughter.

The Portland mothers said it's wrong to think that mothers must cover their breasts and babies while nursing in public: That makes infants hot, and it interrupts the eye contact that builds a bond between mother and child, said Portland organizer Amelia Psmythe.

"That's part of the sweetness of breast-feeding that goes along with all the good nutrition," she said.

The women also called on Fred Meyer stores to fulfill its pledge to make clear to employees that it's acceptable, and legal, to breast-feed in public.

Chris Musser of Portland, who was at the demonstration today, said she was approached by a Fred Meyer manager in the spring who said customers had expressed discomfort.

"Babies are vulnerable members of our society and because of that we take care of them as best as we can, and we make allowances for them," she said. "Babies do things that we don't let grown-ups or older children do. They need to be accommodated. Just as a society, it's something society does for the next generation."

Fred Meyer spokeswoman Melinda Merrill said the encounter was "an unfortunate situation" and said Fred Meyer has retransmitted its policy to store managers and will make sure all employees know of it through paycheck enclosures or other communications from managers and through orientation training for new employees.