Jo King Kent Says Delta Harassed Her Over Her Breast Pump

Moms.com

Viral Tweet About Using A Breast Pump On A Plane Shows People Know Nothing

By Kate Prince

Published Jul 21, 2019

Jo King Kent tried to board a Delta plane with her breast pump, the gate agent tried to take it from her, and her tweet shows how little people know.

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Breastfeeding in public can be a battle of epic proportions. Even though it's the most natural thing in the world, there are those out there that like to make life difficult for moms who simply want to feed their child. This kind of stigma can lead to confrontations and all sorts of difficult situations that could so easily be avoided. According to SheKnows, one mom tweeted about her own experience trying to board a plane with a breast pump recently. The woman in question was NBC News correspondent Jo King Kent.

When Kent tried to board a Delta plane with the pump, the gate agent tried to take it from her. Clearly, the male agent didn't understand why a woman who wasn't traveling with a child would need a pump. Kent explained why she was carrying the item, but the agent still tried to take the pump from her three times. "Well, sir, perhaps you haven't met a working before," the journalist ended her tweet.

Other moms leaped to the defense of Kent, with one user pointing out that if you had the baby with you, there wouldn't be the need to carry the pump at all. Clearly, the TSA agent has a very poor understanding of the female reproductive system in all its milky glory. Working moms often come up against adversity, so sadly, it's nothing new. A director at the U.S. Census Bureau told her own story involving a work event recently. When she tried to walk into the expo hall where she was due to speak, security wouldn't let her in as she had her child.

Clearly, there needs to be more training given to those in these positions of power, for the good of everyone involved. No mother wants to explain repeatedly that they need to empty their boobs to avoid painfully engorged breasts. And, let's face it, who really wants to be the idiot that had to have that explained to them?

Delta responded to Kent's tweet with an apology, before promising to look into the situation further. Thanks to the reporter voicing her experience to her large audience, it's brought the conversation back into the forefront - where it ought to be.