Today Show’s Savannah Guthrie Compares Breastfeeding to Urinating

By On August 11, 2011 · 35 Comments

On this morning’s episode of Today, Savannah Guthrie compares breastfeeding in public to urinating in public and Star Jones makes a crack about 4 and 5 year olds being old enough to ask for a happy meal and too old to be breastfed. I’ve embedded the video (if it isn’t showing then click here and skip ahead to 5:50) and included the transcript (from Today’s site) below it.

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>> i don’t know how we got from that study to this. it will be a good topic for next week. moving on to breastfeeding in public. once again, this issue has been raised. a mother was kicked off of a bus in detroit for nursing her infant son. the driver was suspended as a result and ignited this debate again. dr. nancy, i guess the issue of whether it’s proper to breastfeed in public, is there a biological imperative of a nursing mother if she wants to go on with a nursing life, she will have to nurse in public?

>> what is a problem in society when a mother wants to feed her child and she happens to be breast fielding we get wiggy. we’re so puritanical about not wanting to see a breast but we have no problem watching the victoria’s secret models.

>> it’s crazy.

>> you have to go to the bathroom but you don’t do that in public.

>> what if i said that, i would get in big trouble. busting me — look, i think it’s a beautiful thing. the only place that i would get a little uncomfortable is if i were with my 8-year-old daughter. them i have to get a whole discussion — she — a woman has the right to do that. i would never get up. personally, that would be the only time i would have to get into a discussion and she would say, well, did mommy breastfeed me. but a woman should be able to do what you want.

>> we say breastfeeding is natural and feeding a child is the most natural thing. but at some point, don’t we have to make some modesty decisions on whether or not a child at 4 or 5 years old needs to be breast fed.

>> no, forget it.

>> if a kid can ask for a happy meal, the kid should not be breast fed.

>> if you’re going to breastfeed in public, be discrete. moms are usually modest. they have a towel or blanket.

>> people don’t think they should. a lot of people don’t think –

>> i was not breast fed. can we move on.

>> that explains a lot.

>> okay.

My husband was furious enough to send this email to Savannah Guthrie:

You should be ashamed of yourself for comparing breastfeeding to urination. There was a time before formula was engineered where women could proudly do what is best for their children without being ostracized for their choice. You have crossed the line of objectivity. As a journalist you should be better informed and that starts with doing your research on issues that mean something to the REAL American people. The issue that was severely overlooked was the woman who had her personal rights and freedoms infringed upon by another individual. The bus company made the right decision. If you choose to be offended by a woman feeding her child in public, than I am offended by even sharing those same public places with you. Please spend your meals in the restroom so I don’t have to feel uncomfortable with the manner in which you choose to eat.

I love my husband, the lactivist. But really, it is alarming. With all of the publicity behind the incident with the bus driver, all of the moms breastfeeding in public last week with the Big Latch On, and the fact that last week was World Breastfeeding Week – you’d have to live under a rock to not know that women have a right to breastfeed their babies in public. And when you are an on-air personality, you have a personal responsibility to not make careless, offhand remarks like that.

I’ve already heard mumbles of a nurse in being planned to protest this. Do you think that is a good idea? And what about Star Jones? Who is she to determine when a mother should stop nursing her child? Do you think Savannah and Star will retract their statements?

What do you think? No big deal or completely uncalled for? Share in the comments. For more from The Gnome’s Mom like us on Facebook and follow us on twitter! While you’re at it… check out our Networked Blogs box in the right sidebar and consider joining through Google Friend Connect, will ya?

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  • http://twitter.com/Playersnamed Erin Clotfelter

    I’m guessing no.  Whatever came of the Rachael Ray/ Bethenny Frankle thing this spring?  Nothing.  They’ll just ignore it.  It still makes me furious.

  • Anonymous

    Seriously? This has to be the most ridiculous, ignorant conversation I’ve seen yet. Totally based on feelings without any regard to facts. I love what the laws for Mississippi say: Breastfeeding is not disorderly conduct nor is it public nudity. (Of course, it says it with much more legal jargon, but I still think it’s pretty awesome.) Oh, and I can’t, for the life of me, remember who exactly said that breastfeeding in public means that you automatically will publicly breastfeed your preschooler. :/

  • Dee

    Way to go, hubby!  My husband is supportive of my breastfeeding, but I don’t think he would ever write an email like that.  Then again, I’m the “secretary” by marriage, so I’ve even picked up the responsibility of sending birthday cards to his family members.  I do kind of wish they hadn’t cut the conversation off, I would like to have seen where it went after that.

    • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

      I was surprised! When he came home for lunch I showed him the clip and he immediately got out his laptop and started typing away. I kind of feel like a slacker because I haven’t even written them. I make Hubby write & sign the cards but I do address & mail them for him.

  • Suzanne

    I am so outraged at the nerve of those two to make such ignorant remarks… you can go here to contact the today show. let them know this is unacceptable http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29041920/ns/today-today_participate/t/e-mail-today/

  • http://mommynewsblog.com Judy @ MommyNewsBlog

    I was disgusted by this!  The media has no place making statements like this.

  • Jenny Loves Whimsy

    Thanks for posting the video and transcript. I’ll link here if I blog about it. Our media continues to ostracize and  stigmatize breastfeeding women who are only try to do what is best for their health and the health of their children. Because of this trend, I’m afraid that women who might want to breastfeed will not due to fears of being ostracized. 

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  • Cwilki8675

    Problem is many women are too self absorbed and selfish to breastfeed their children and they become ignorant to the topic becasue of this.  I am always discrete when breastfeeding ( because of the looks people give you), People need to grow up in the self absorbed culture of ours.  As far as Star JOnes she must not understand her African culture very well.  Their children are breastfed for many
     years.

    • ack

      Please, if you’re defending something that is everyone’s right, do not be ignorant yourself.

    • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

      We can’t assume that women who don’t breastfeed are selfish or self absorbed. Language like that immediately shuts down communication.

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  • Myname

    You have GOT to be kidding me.  I have to go to the bathroom and I don’t do it in public????? Is a baby drinking urine?!?!?!? What the he**?

  • Diane Holman

    Savannah Guthrie You are stupid, I think you should apologize for your ignorance, to the millions of families out there whom you have offended with your careless , ignorant remark.

  • MrT

    ladies,  keep your breasts covered in public.  Yes it’s a beautiful thing, yes it’s required to feed your baby, just keep them covered during the feeding and we’ll all shutup

    • Brandi

      You should keep your mouth covered, or I suppose in this case, your keyboard. 

    • Chino44

      I agree with Mr.T on this one. If your breast feeding in public keep em covered. Feeding at home is one thing, but have the decency to cover up when your in a public place.

      • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

        Have either of you actually seen a mother nursing in public? Here are several ways that I nurse, both covered and uncovered. Do you find any of them indecent? http://thegnomesmom.com/?p=270

        • Deirdre Viel

          I doubt it… I expect that by “covered up” they mean they want women to actually have a large sheet of fabric covering their torso and the nursing baby – like we used to do.  A vast majority of women who nurse “uncovered” are still very well covered by the clothing that they wear with extremely little boob, (I’m talking less than on typical magazine covers these days) if any, exposed.  When do I notice a mother is nursing?  When she goes through all the trouble of putting on a cover and/or has a huge piece of cloth draped over the front of her.  Add some struggling by the baby trying to uncover itself – because let’s face it, who wants their head covered while they’re trying to eat – and everyone within 15 yards will know what’s going on.

          Several months ago I went to the mall with a friend and I explained to her that it was about the time that DD regularly nursed, so I was going to go ahead and nurse her in her carrier while we walked.  She knew I was going to nurse her, she was walking right beside me the whole time, and by the time she noticed I was nursing her (and there was absolutely nothing exposed) DD had already been nursing for 5 minutes.  My friend was shocked about how discreet I was.  THIS is how it is with the typical nursing mother.  It doesn’t require a cover to be covered, and a vast majority of “uncovered” mothers are exceptional at being discreet.

    • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

      Have you actually seen a mother nursing in public? Here are several ways that I nurse, both covered and uncovered. Do you find any of them indecent? http://thegnomesmom.com/?p=270

      Have you ever seen a mother nursing in public indecently? 

    • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

      Here are some more for you: http://thegnomesmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/11.jpg 

      Again, what is the problem with nursing in public? 

  • Mortyfischbein

    Savannah is right.

    • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

      Please, look at the pictures in this post and tell me what is obscene about that. Please, tell me how that can possibly compare to urination. 

      http://thegnomesmom.com/?p=1590

  • Steph

    have any of you ever thought that the woman on the bus was NOT breastfeeding discretely? unfortunately, just because some people do something the right way, when there are a lot of people (or sometimes a minority) who don’t follow common sense decency, it ruins it for the whole. let’s also remember that every person is entitled to his/her opinion. on this segment, savannah’s role is to interject comments to create conversation on these controversial topics. these are just people’s opinions, not rules or facts.

    • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

      I think that you mean discreetly, not discretely. Either way, one person’s definitely of discreet can be totally different than another’s and it isn’t anyone’s place to judge. A baby’s right to eat is legally protected – no matter if the mother is discreet or not. 

      • Steph

        Lori, I think you mean “definition of discreet”. Unfortunately, this is America, and there is judgment regarding acceptable levels of decency while in public. Our laws regulate behavior in the public forum. Again, one can ruin it for the many. Here I believe the one (or more than one) may ruin it for the many.

        As a final reminder, this segment was an opinion piece on a talk show. If you are so concerned about feeding your child, perhaps you should reach out to your lawmakers to address any actual injury you experience, if there were any.

        • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

          You’re absolutely right, I did mean definition instead of definitely. Darn autocorrect gets me every time! 

          Our laws do regulate behavior in the public forum, just as they protect a child’s right to eat in public. They also exempt a mother from public indecency laws. Fortunately for me, since these laws are ALREADY IN PLACE, I have no need to reach out to my lawmakers. 

          As a final reminder, this is my personal blog – a collection of my opinions. 

          • Steph

            As I remember from previous research, only 25 or 28 states have laws that exempt a woman regarding breastfeeding. So that leaves quite a number of states that do not. Perhaps this woman was in a state that didn’t even have a law permitting such display (there are also additional states that have other laws regulating breastfeeding in public/private forums).

            Also, you attack someone you don’t know for making an opinion and yet you don’t seem to like the contra opinion you are expressing. You attack another person (and your husband), not knowing them at all, and feel your opinion is the right one. I hope you raise your child with a more open mindset and let them realize that just because someone is in the media and offers an opinion they are not evil.

            • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

              I believe you need to update your previous research. There are currently laws in place to protect the right to nurse in public in all but 2 states. There are no laws u

            • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

              I think you probably need to update your research, as at least 45 states currently have laws in place that specifically allow mothers to breastfeed in any public or private place they are otherwise authorized to be. There are NO states that have laws in place prohibiting breastfeeding in public (http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14389). 

              Also, I would love to see a quote where I attacked anyone or called them evil. I go out of my way to be respectful and factual. Of course I feel my opinion is the right one, everyone does – that is why it is their opinion! 

              I respectfully ask you to refrain from bringing the way I raise my child into this.

            • http://thegnomesmom.com Lori W

              Oh, and the woman kicked off the bus? That was in Michigan, and she was protected under the law. 

              MichiganMich. Comp. Laws § 41.181, § 67.1aa and § 117.4i et seq. (1994) state that public nudity laws do not apply to a woman breastfeeding a child.

    • Dee

      I see that Lori has already replied with the details as to the breastfeeding laws in Michigan where the incident took place.  I would also like to point out that while 45 states have some sort of law on the books which protect a mother’s right to breastfeed her child whenever and wherever, those 5 that do not have laws do not have laws against it either.  There are some states whose laws specifically exempt a mother from indecent exposure laws, some even goes as far as to state that the nipple may be exposed.  No state has a law that forbids a mother from breastfeeding in public.  No state has a law that says a mother who is breastfeeding will be guilty of indecent exposure.  No state specifies that a mother must “be discreet” when breastfeeding.  

      People are certainly entitled to their opinions, though it is not always appropriate or necessary to share them.  With most states in this country specifically protecting the right to breastfeed I can see no reason for someone to express a conflicting view or opinion on the matter except as an attempt to bully, guilt, or shame a mother into giving up her right to feed and comfort her child because they are uncomfortable with it.

      Before I bothered to educate myself I shared a very similar opinion of one of the statements above: “if they’re old enough to ask for a happy meal they don’t need to be breastfeeding”.  Not once did I ever express that opinion to anyone else, because there was no need to.  I wasn’t breastfeeding, so it wasn’t my decision to make or to try to influence another person, and it wasn’t my place to share that opinion.  

  • Katie

    Just because Savannah compared it to such an inappropriate act does not necessarily mean that’s how she feels.  Her job was to get them talking and responding to things other people may have asked.  Stop wasting your time talking about it.  We all know it’s natural and great and it will continue.  Stop watching her if you hate her that much.  Also, Star is absolutely right on this topic.  We all know its natural for babies to wear diapers, but once they get a certain age, it needs to stop! 

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  • sylvia enriquez

    star and savanah are not mothers.they speak without compassion at all. breastfeeding in public is unavoidable sometimes. what we need is for people not to look or stare at the mohers chest.why cant you look the other way? most of you are perverts thats why!!