Sen. Tammy Duckworth Breaks Glass Door: Allowed to Bring Her Newborn and Breastfeed on Senate Floor
Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat from Illinois, broke a long-standing glass door by being allowed to bring her newborn child on to the Senate floor and also be allowed to breastfeed on the Senate floor. Duckworth brought her child onto the Senate floor on this day. There was no earthquake. The building did not collapse. Life went on.
The Senate changed the rule the night before. It was the first change in the rules governing the Senate floor since 1977.
The new rule applies only to children under the age of one year.
The rule change, which treats allowing newborns and breastfeeding in official places, marks another step on the decades-long long process of demolishing rules and law reflecting American squeamishness about sexuality, contraception, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and related matters.
In the 1950s, for example, Lucille Ball, star of the I Love Lucy show, the most popular show on television, became pregnant and the show worked that fact into weekly programs. In an era of squeamishness, however, the word “pregnant” was never used on the air. Learn about the shows on December 8, 1952 and January 19, 1953 (when she goes to the hospital).
Visit Senator Duckworth’s web site.