Keller @ Large: Babies Now Allowed On Senate Floor
BOSTON (CBS) - Change came to the floor of the US Senate Wednesday, an unusual sight in an institution where spittoons from the 18th century are still scattered about the chamber. And approval for Senate Resolution 463, authorizing a senator to bring a young son or daughter onto the floor during votes, was unanimous.
The senator who prompted this change is Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost both legs when her helicopter was shot down over Baghdad. "I just think it's amazing," she said of the resolution's approval, "and I want to thank all my colleagues for the unanimous consent vote."
This is not the first time the needs of female politicians with newborns has become a political issue. Here in Massachusetts, when Acting Governor Jane Swift gave birth while in office seven years ago, there were a string of controversies surrounding baby care logistics.
And while times have changed, with infants not an unusual sight in the chambers of the Massachusetts Legislature, there are still those who object to the privilege Duckworth and other senators will now enjoy, like the guy on Twitter who complained that "Duckworth could potentially 'weaponize' her baby because infants haven't previously been allowed in this arena. What if she uses the presence of her child to influence legislation? I don't think that's fair."
But to Duckworth's fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, that's not such a bad idea.
"Perhaps the occasional cry of a baby will shock the Senate into speaking up or even crying out on the issues that confront our nation and the world," he says.