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Nursing Mother’s Breast Milk Seized by Airport Security
Airport Security: Not Breastfeeding Friendly
By now, you’ve probably heard some horror stories from people who have dealt with the Transportation Safety Authority (TSA) and the new airport screening regulations.
But CBS News’ “The Early Show” co-anchor Erica Hill knows firsthand how upsetting getting through airport security can be.
“I cried today at airport security. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and despite my best efforts, I’m almost positive my lip quivered, Hill writes over at CBS Eye on Parenting.
What got her so upset? Did they touch her “junk” or sexually assault her? No. Hill describes what happened:
There were no pat downs, no high-tech body scanners. There were simply two small bags of milk. Just over 15 ounces, gone.
Any woman who has nursed or pumped will tell you the milk is liquid gold. It’s not a cutesy term; it’s an understatement. So you can imagine the way my heart sunk as I had to leave several servings of liquid gold with a security agent tonight at London’s Heathrow airport.
I had checked ahead: by all accounts, I could carry expressed milk on board international ly just as I often do domestically, even when traveling without a baby. Those accounts were wrong.
As a working nursing mother, Hill has pumped in airport restroom stalls, borrowed offices and even in a parked car. “It’s one of the least glamorous, inconvenient and intensely satisfying things I’ve ever done,” she writes.
But she’s infuriated by the mixed messages that mothers receive about breastfeeding. They are told that “breast is best,” but when it comes to actually accommodating the needs of a nursing mother, all bets are off.
For the record, airport security should have allowed Hill to bring her breast milk on board.
According to TSA’s web site, “Mothers flying with, and now without, their child will be permitted to bring breast milk in quantities greater than three ounces as long as it is declared for inspection at the security checkpoint.” They are now including breast milk in the same category as liquid medications.
The web site reassures people that they will not be asked to taste breast milk or formula. There are a number of other requirements, however. The milk must be separated from other items in a zip-top bag, declared to a security officer at the security checkpoint and presented for additional inspection at the X-ray. Hill said that she researched the requirements in advance and adhered to them.
But as perceptive commenters have pointed out, this incident occurred at Heathrow, therefore, TSA was not involved. Still, security officers should know better than to dump a mother’s hard-earned “liquid gold.”
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0 Comments
Lisa commented on Nov 23 10 at 4:56 pmTSA wasn’t involved…it was security at Heathrow in London who dumped it, so she was subject to British law at the time. I’m guessing she researched that law prior to her trip. Regardless, it is terrible that she lost those precious ounces.
Shirls commented on Nov 23 10 at 5:02 pmSometimes these airport security measures seem to go too far. But what laws do they violate, if any? Interesting article here:
http://lawblog.legalmatch.com/2010/11/19/do-the-new-tougher-airport-security-measures-violate-any-laws/
J. commented on Nov 23 10 at 6:23 pmWhile unfortunate, the incident occurred at LHR, not domestically. Therefore, TSA had no involvement. Clearly, Babble needs to educate its contributors so they know better than to improperly assign blame to an agency.
paulabernstein commented on Nov 23 10 at 6:27 pmYou are both correct. I am mistaken. I will make the change ASAP.
Arly commented on Nov 23 10 at 7:31 pmDo they also seize infant formula? Since we can assume the mother would have been willing to show it was safe to drink, they cannot have claimed putative danger (combustability, flammability, or poison). Without any claim of danger, what WAS the claim?
Voice of Reason commented on Nov 23 10 at 8:15 pmI travel in/out of London Heathrow fairly frequently and, while it’s a pain, the rules are pretty clear and easy to find on a google search: http://www.heathrow-airport-guide.co.uk/security.html
I cannot see how 15 oz of breastmilk could have fit in a bag sized 20cm x 20cm. While it’s true that exceptions ‘may’ be made for breastmilk, there was certainly no guarantee of that so it was pretty risky to show up having pumped the milk in advance of the flight. Don’t get me wrong, I know how painful it can be to travel transAtlantically while one’s milk supply builds up with no baby to provide relief (my friend pumped on the flight when going from London to New York sans baby).
I don’t agree with these rules; I simply question that Erica Hill ‘did her research’ when I was able to find the current rules in a 0.11 second google search.
Paula Bernstein commented on Nov 23 10 at 8:47 pmActually, Voice of Reason, here is what I found on that same web site:
“Essential medicines are permitted in larger quantities above the 100ml limit but will be subject to authentication. Exceptions to the 100ml rule may also be made for those carrying baby food and milk, but you may be asked to taste the liquid when you go through security.”
Voice of Reason commented on Nov 23 10 at 10:03 pmI fear this may be yet another case of ‘America and Britain; two countries divided by a common language’. In the UK, the word ‘may’ is commonly accepted to mean ‘might’ not ‘will’.
In other words, exceptions to the 100ml rule may (or may not) be made for those carrying baby milk…
Again, I don’t really agree with the rules, but I don’t think that Erica Hill got her facts straight.
Common Sense commented on Nov 24 10 at 2:35 pmJust reinforces in my mind why I have no desire to travel to Europe. The government zoids on the east side of the pond are just as dumb as they are in the States.
Crysania commented on Nov 24 10 at 2:46 pmAre we sure TSA wasn’t involved? When I flew out of Ireland on a trip back to the USA we still had to pass through TSA (in addition to Irish security). It was extremely ridiculous as they didn’t even warn us about the additional TSA security so people had bought drinks, taken things out of their quart-sized bags and TSA confiscated it all.
Sarah commented on Nov 24 10 at 3:30 pmI had to educate an American TSA agent who almost opened a bottle of breast milk AND a tamper-proof pre-mixed bottle of formula (kept as a spare). He almost opened the formula before I put my foot down. I demanded to see his supervisor who agreed with me on the rule. Sometimes folks don’t know the rules yet assume they are right because of a job title. Stand your ground!
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