Breastfeeding While Driving

[zakur]

Feeding on the Go (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/GoodMorningAmerica/breastfeedingmom030619.html)

A woman is facing child endangerment charges for trying to breastfeed her daughter while driving from Detroit to Pittsburgh.

Catherine Donkers, 29, was apparently spotted by a truck driver while nursing her 7-month-old on the Ohio Turnpike. The driver became alarmed and called the state Highway Patrol.

Officers tried to pull Donkers over, but they say she wouldn't stop until she got to a toll booth in Portage County. She offered an affidavit as identification and was cited for not having a license, police say.

"It's not like I'm trying to change a diaper while I'm driving, she pretty much just lays there on the pillow in my lap," said Donkers. "I would certainly submit that talking on a cell phone causes far more distraction than nursing a child while she's just laying there."

[...]

Donkers also claims she did nothing wrong because Michigan has an exemption to its child restraint law for nursing mothers. But police say they have to abide by Ohio laws because that's where the traffic stop occurred.

Donkers said she doesn't think her actions were excessively dangerous, and she believes she can follow the laws of her home state when driving on an interstate highway.Man uses strict faith as defense (http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/6155287.htm)

A woman given a ticket for breast-feeding her daughter while driving on the Ohio Turnpike last month could have gone on her merry way with a slap on the wrist and a $100 fine.

At least that was the offer from the Portage County Prosecutor's Office on May 9, the day after a trucker called 911 to report that he had seen the woman driving her car with a baby in her lap.

The woman's husband, however, is trying to make a federal case out of it — literally — by claiming she is not the real defendant.

He said he is.

He made that claim, citing Mosaic law from the Old Testament and writings from the days of the Founding Fathers because of the couple's "deeply held spiritual beliefs'' that the husband is "the sole head of the family'' and the only one who can punish the wife for a public act.

He said he would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to prove his position.

[...]

"The situation here,'' Barnhill said during an interview last week, "is that, according to our faith, I'm the head of the household. I'm responsible for what she does, and no one can punish her except me.

"So if they want to punish somebody, let them punish me. I am the defendant.

"That's the way I have to do things under my faith. And if I fail in that duty, I'm going to hell.''

Barnhill, who said he lives with his wife in an apartment near Pittsburgh, said they will never compromise their faith.

"If they refuse to allow me the free exercise of my religion," he said, "then we're going to appeal this all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States and they're not going to be able to try her before then."

[Chad Noles]

Sounds like a case of drinking and driving to me.:D Sorry,couldn't resist.:p

[WildCat]

What a stupid family! I hope the baby turns out smarter. No drivers license, not covered ny insurance, one deer running out onto the highway and into her front end and beby gets mashed between momma and airbag.

"It's lawful for me to nurse my child while I'm driving, it's not like she's sitting on the floor mat and is unrestrained for a seven-hour drive. She's only out of that seat while I'm nursing her."
So she is claiming she pulled over, got out of the car, took the baby out of the seat, got back into the driver's seat (!) and took off again? :rolleyes: How long does it take to nurse a baby?

And the father!
Barnhill said his faith is rooted in The First Christian Fellowship for Eternal Sovereignty, an organization founded in the late 1990s, according to information on its Web site. The founder was a man named Christopher Hansen.
...Barnhill said he is a minister in the fellowship with 650 followers who ``regularly correspond'' with him by e-mail and letters.
:p What a religion! I'll bet he's never seen his "parishioners".

You got to read those links zakur posted, this is the funniest thing I've seen in a while. Apparently the husband plans to place the prosecutor under "citizen's arrest" at the next court appearance. I hope they allow cameras in Ohio courtrooms!

[a_unique_person]

I am all for mothers being able to feed their babies in public places, but this is just not safe behaviour, and the parents don't even care.

[Thanz]

Donkers also claims she did nothing wrong because Michigan has an exemption to its child restraint law for nursing mothers. But police say they have to abide by Ohio laws because that's where the traffic stop occurred.

Does anyone else find it alarming that there is an exception to child restraint laws for nursing mothers? If an accident happens during that time, chance are the child will be killed. Especially if the mom is the driver - the baby would be crushed.

What possible reason could there be for this exception? You can't pull over to nurse? wherever you are going is not so important as to risk the life of your child.

[Mr Manifesto]

Sounds like a frootloop family to me. If a person is too stupid to see why it isn't a good idea to breastfeed your baby while you're driving, then maybe it's time to let nature take its course.

From the sounds of it, we don't want these genes to go any more generations than they absolutely have to.

[c0rbin]

Breast feeding is important to my wife and 8 month-old.

But not that important.

[Chris Haynes]

I have breastfed three children, and many times in public.

I have never needed to ever breastfeed while driving. If there was a screaming child who needed to be fed all I ever had to do was pull over into a parking lot, get out and get into a comfortable spot in the passenger seat (the steering wheel gets in the way even when you are parked).

I have also pulled over the car when the kids were older and screaming. I would not proceed any further until the noise stopped, and told them exactly why I cannot drive a car with kids fighting amonst themselves ("Mouths closed, hands on lap!").

There is absolutely no place I need to get to in such a rush that I would endanger my prescious passengers.

(now about the guy who rear-ended me at a stoplight while he was on a cell phone --- AARGH! --- fortunately my son's neck felt better the next day, I did call the doctor's office)

[hgc]

I saw them on TV this morning. When confronted about how dangerous it is to do what she did, the woman said that just getting into a car is dangerous. There's lots of dangerous things in the world.

Talk about not getting the concept of 'degree!'

[kedo1981]

I like breastfeeding while driving but it bugs the crap outa my mom.

[NightG1]

Originally posted by WildCat
How long does it take to nurse a baby?


About 300 miles - apparently.

[Roadtoad]

(1.) KNOWING that driving can be a hazardous activity, this idiot woman took this child from it's car seat, and while driving, chose to breast feed her child. HELLOOOO! Did she ever stop to think... and forget to start again?

(2.) The father is seeking to defend his wife's endangerment of their child. Could we say that this yobbo is a little unclear on the concept of what's appropriate?

The state needs to take this child. They need to take this child now. They need to take this child now, or it will remain forever a child. These people are going to kill this kid.

I'm sorry, I see too many stupid actions by people in cars, from halfwits with cell phones to people trying to eat SALADS(!) while driving, to "busy executives" actually READING the WSJ while driving. One of the reasons I lost my last job was because of an idiot who should have been paying attention to driving, but he was READING FROM HIS NOTEBOOK and he hit my truck!

Dammit, what sort of a barbaric dope tries to do this sort of activity while they're in a moving car!?!?!?! Were they out of their minds!?!?!?! Where is CPS when you need them!!!!!

[arcticpenguin]

Without addressing the breastfeeding while driving question, a couple other points here are clearly going to go against thid fine parental couple.

1) They cite a Michigan exemption while they were driving in Ohio. That's not gonna last a split second in court.

2) The wacko daddy claiming the state has no right to punish his wife because of his religious beliefs - this is not going to make it to the supreme court. it will probably get turned down without a hearing by every court at every level. If they don't like it, they will probably find out that driving is a privilege and not a right very quickly.

[Roadtoad]

Originally posted by arcticpenguin
Without addressing the breastfeeding while driving question, a couple other points here are clearly going to go against thid fine parental couple.

1) They cite a Michigan exemption while they were driving in Ohio. That's not gonna last a split second in court.

2) The wacko daddy claiming the state has no right to punish his wife because of his religious beliefs - this is not going to make it to the supreme court. it will probably get turned down without a hearing by every court at every level. If they don't like it, they will probably find out that driving is a privilege and not a right very quickly.

That second one, I should have mentioned, particularly given my profession at the moment. Thanks, Penguin.

The first, I don't even think applies. But once again, a solid opinion.

The child still needs to be taken from that home. I mean, Good GOD! They put the kid at risk for this sort of behavior? Did this idiot woman completely forget that this is why highways have shoulders!?!?!

[arcticpenguin]

I jsut read the article more carefully. It appears the woman doesn't even have a driver's license!

[American]

I saw her interview. This psycho didn't pull over for 3 miles because she claims she was assaulted by troopers in the past (in broad daylight on a busy highway no less).

Then she used the most convoluted double-speak to explain why her faith protects her against the law, both legally and spiritually.

So she first used every excuse to justify breaking at least 3 laws, then her husband started babbling anti-government BS and the like...

I hope they lock her away. I actually trust the state more to raise her kid.

[shuize]

I enjoyed this quote from the article: "You can understand we're a little different," Barnhill said. Yeah, just a "little" ....

I always get a kick out of these "the law doesn't apply to me because ..." arguments.

And the wack-job husband's upcoming "citizen's arrest" of the local prosecutor should also be good for another laugh. I hope somebody in Ohio keeps us up to date.

[Mr Manifesto]

Yes, they're exempt from the law while they're under its scrutiny, but it's amazing how quickly they call the cops when someone vaguely infringes on their rights.

Reminds me of the time some neighbours of a friend of mine called the cops because my friend refused to take down a fence that could have been as much as 10 CENTIMETRES on their property. They couldn't understand why the police wouldn't attend. They had similar religous beliefs to this couple.

[Temporal Renegade]

Man, if she is sentenced for this, I'd love to see the Public Service Announcement she'd have to make...