Breast-feeding and driving

“There’s multitasking, and there’s taking leave of your senses,” said Lisa Belkin in The New York Times online. And Genine Compton, pulled over near Dayton, Ohio, last week for driving while breast-feeding her 2-year-old daughter—oh, and reportedly talking on her cell phone—probably crossed that line. Her reasoning? “If my child’s hungry, I’m going to feed it.” (Watch an interview with Compton)

I see “how it could happen,” said Nicole Villalpando in The Austin American-Statesman online. “The baby’s screaming, the older kids are going to be late to school, the phone’s ringing. What do you do?” For starters, you never unbuckle your toddler from the car seat. You pull over, feed your child, and accept that “you’re not Superwoman.”

“Apparently, in our high-pressure, gadget-driven world,” said William Saletan in Slate, drivers think they have to multitask on the road. But driving is not just another “background activity.” Compton put her kids in very real danger, but so did the man who called the police on her—on a cell phone, while driving behind her. Sir, “practice what you preach.” (Listen to audio of the police call, via the Dayton Daily News)

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