I was wondering if I was missing information on the website about birthing rights for women? Recently, the AMA has been as bold in announcing that they are working on introducing legislation that will ban home birth even though studies have shown that home birth is a safe option for low risk women. Furthermore, when women walk through the hospital doors, women are not receiving evidence based maternity care. Soaring c-section, episiotomy, and intervention rates are the norm. Hospitals are promoting themselves as "safe" while making money and performing procedures for perceived liability issues. Women's rights are being trampled on and they don't even realize it because they are being lied to in the medical facilities. Common fibs are: failure to progress, babies to big, pelvis is to small, fetal distress (cord issues are common in natural birth), etc. Is it really 2008? I am hoping that this site is as angered as I am about our maternity care system.

As you will see on our site, we do have several links to organizations focused both on women's health as well as mother's rights — both of which are certainly working to do the same type of education and empowerment that you seem to be doing. Every state is so different it's actually proved very difficult to work on these issues on a national level. For instance, NY state is relatively pro-midwife — though they have few laws "protecting" midwives, they often don't prevent them from practicing; whereas in other states midwifery is illegal as are home births. So I do think it's very important to mobilize people on a very local level. At least that approach can ensure perhaps better results.

Also, there was a great study undertaken a few years ago by a group based in New York City and what they discovered was that women simply seemed more access to information. They wouldn't necessarily make different decisions, but wanted more context and information about those decisions. That very basic step of information sharing is something that Feminist.com is working hard on — and it sounds like you are, too.

— Amy