Re: [ozmidwifery] QUOTE OF THE WEEK

[Janet Fraser]

I think that's nonsense. This is the quote that springs to my mind when I read that: A snippet from www.midwiferytoday.com Think about It: Cesarean Section While it is symbolic that the only Barbie model that gives birth does so through her abdomen, the escalation of cesarean rates illustrates more than women's self-loathing. It takes two to do this tango. Obstetricians, "relentlessly driven to control the unpredictability of pregnancy and birth," must accept responsibility as the dispensers of cutting-edge technology. Dr. [Germaine] Greer views the rise in cesarean rates as part of the widespread cultural assault on women's bodies and more specifically, a transfer of the ritual mutilation of the vagina (through episiotomy) to the mutilation of the uterus itself. Surely, cesarean rates approaching 25 percent cannot be medically justified. As Dr. Greer points out, "Much of what is done to women in the name of health has no rationale beyond control." Insult is added to injury when women, who labour but end up birthed by cesarean, are told that their bodies (their pelvis, uterus or cervix) are to blame. The truth is that induction, analgesia, electronic fetal surveillance, an unfamiliar environment and lack of continuous labour support all interfere with the sensitive process of labour and affect the outcome. Dr. Greer reminds us that "blaming the victim for the crime is a pattern of injustice very familiar to feminists." — Karen Robb, excerpted from the article "Thank You, Germaine Greer: A Midwife Comments on Greer's bestseller, The Whole Woman" Midwifery Today Issue 57 ----- Original Message ----- From: Mary Murphy To: list Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 5:44 PM Subject: [ozmidwifery] QUOTE OF THE WEEK "We need to find a way between the rock of medical model standard of care and the hard place of women's insistence on pain-free, rapid childbearing to meet the needs of both mother and baby."— Sharon Glass Jonquil