Fired for Pumping

I can't believe the Ohio Supreme Court decided in favor of Isotoner!

http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2009/08/28/fired_for_pumping/

It's just more proof that true support for mothers, especially working mothers, is a joke in our country. Isotoner wanted this woman to go 5 hours between pumping. Everyone who has breastfed knows that if you pump infrequently, you will dry up--not to mention the other side effects like leaking breasts. Pumping is not exactly a joy either. What about the smokers and their cigarette breaks? It's okay to go outside, chat in groups, and slowly kill yourselves, but it's wrong to provide your infant, the future of our nation, with the best possible nourishment on the planet. Oh, but breastfeeding does not fall under pregnancy rights. Why do we have to have separate categorized rights to acknowledge what our bodies do naturally. What was her true crime? How do pump breaks prevent her from doing her job. Did it somehow make the efficiency ratios slightly off? I say America's values are all screwed up. They're based on the true God of our country, money.

Another thing that I'd like to say is that other women who have not breastfed or who have chosen to sacrifice family for a career have little to no empathy for women who believe that offspring are a priority. Three of the judges on that Ohio Supreme Court were women. I bet none of them breastfed their children, if they had any. When is our nation going to get over the 1950s? The majority of mothers work outside of the home. For most Americans, it is not feasible for one parent to stay home full time, especially with all the single-parent families that exist today.

American women, whether they are mothers or not, need to stand up against judgments like these. We need to demand the respect and privilege we deserve for motherhood. Humanity depends on mothers. Yes, we are just as smart and capable as men, but, yes, we are different. We produce the future of nations. Shouldn't America's quest to be the best start from the very beginning, in utero. Shouldn't women be praised instead of fired for providing the best for their children. And when I say best, I don't mean the best that money provides. I mean the best of ourselves: love, nurturing, time, discipline, and, yes, of course, breastmilk if possible.

The apathy,stubbornness, and blindness of Americans is flabbergasting. It's gone on too long. We women have to take the time to be informed and to speak up. We must band together in a sisterhood. We must be the examples for future generations.

I'm ready to do something. Is anyone else out there ready?