I recently gave a talk for a Homebirth Canterbury event. In it, I considered some of the connections between the #metoo campaign around sexual harassment and assault, and the #enough campaign aimed at ending harassment and assault in birthing. Drawing on a research project with Katharine McKinnon and Stephen Healy, I think about how birth... Continue Reading →
When it comes to giving birth, having the right to choose is not the only thing that matters…
In her book The Logic of Care: Healthcare and the Problem of Patient Choice, Annemarie Mol relates a story that partially prompted her philosophical investigation into choice and care in the Dutch healthcare system: It is still the early 1990s. I am pregnant and 36. A national committee of experts in the Netherlands where I... Continue Reading →
Education and Maternity Care: Public, Home or Private?
I have long been aware of the statistics that place planned homebirth on a par with public hospital births in terms of best outcomes for mothers and babies. For just as long, I have been aware that births in private hospitals have the worst outcomes generally. This did not really surprise me when I discovered... Continue Reading →