Book Recs/Movie Recs, 2/12/10: Super Outrage Edition
Friday, February 12th, 2010 09:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
retsukoIn Books:
Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, by Jennifer Block: I must confess that I read a great part of this book gaping in surprise and outrage; Edvard Munch's "Scream" and I sat on the couch, paging through chapter after chapter of alternately creepy and disheartening work on the over-medicalization of birth, demonization of midwives and their work, and the disenfranchisement of women from their own pregnancies. Block skillfully traces the history of medicalized childbirth from the early 1900s to the present day, weaving the historical information in between anecdotes from midwives who practice their work illegally and mothers who want to have a say in the birth of their children after horrific experiences where their wishes were ignored, and in some cases, their lives endangered. The saddest part of this narrative is, perhaps, the (difficult to substantiate) cases of women who've had cesareans with their first pregnancy who want to give vaginal birth with their second, but are told by doctors and insurance companies that they're not "allowed" to do so. In some cases, these women are able to find midwives (legal or otherwise) who will assist them, but in some cases, they simply go it alone (which can be deemed to be abusive to the child, depending on the State the birth occurs in.) Block also presents compelling evidence that the standard, hospital method of giving "natural" birth (the mother lying on her back, pushing, inducing labor, etc) isn't necessarily the most healthy method for mother and baby, either. Too often, she argues, births and the birth process are treated in a way that doesn't take into account the parents' desires and ultimately, threatens the health of mother and child.
Block, a former editor of Ms. magazine, is clearly bewildered why issues of childbirth and methods of delivery aren't part of more pro-choice/pro-women groups' agendas (and are, in fact, often ignored in political platforms of these groups). Having read this, I have to say that I agree with her confusion over this issue. Given the over-politicalizing of the early stages of birth/conception, I am surprised that the final months of pregnancy don't warrant the same kind of attention, especially with some of the stories that Block relates of women being arrested for trying to give birth at home, or the forced c-sections for women who say they don't want them. (One of Block's most interesting subjects is a vehemently Catholic, pro-life couple, who end up marching in the Pro-Choice march in Washington to support a woman's right to choose how she gives birth after the mother is forced to have a c-section by her doctors.) Ethically speaking, Block asks, do women have a right to natural birth, and at what point can the state step in, if at all?
Block's own agenda came through very loud and clear throughout the book; she's very anti-c-section. I didn't entirely agree with all her points on this issue and thought that trying to link flesh-eating bacteria infections to the operation, in particular, undermined her argument. What I came away with from this book is that when it comes time for my own pregnancy, I am going to call the shots, no matter what, but knowing this will be an uphill battle. (One of my life goals, which is to avoid major surgery, was definitely affirmed by reading this work.) However, after reading this, I certainly don't begrudge anyone else their choices in delivery, as long as those choices are well-informed and not governed by an overburdened, overinsured medical system that only cares about statistics and speed of birth.
On DVD:
Prom Night in Mississippi: Three years ago, Morgan Freeman's hometown, Charleston, Mississippi, was still having racially segregated proms. Freeman heard about this and decided that he wanted to do something about it; that the idea of having a "black prom" and a "white prom" in 2007 was morally repugnant. He offered to pay for the whole prom if it were integrated. This film chronicles that offer and the responses in the school and surrounding community, and ultimately, the prom itself, in 2008. The strengths of this film lie in its careful attention to detail, like the students emerging from rundown houses and trailers in their prom finery, or the touching relationship between one of the few interracial couples at the school, Heather and Jeremy. The students, as a whole, talk about racism rather wearily, something that their parents are afflicted with and that must be worked against in order to make the school and the community a better place. A group of parents (who refuse to be interviewed, except through their lawyer) still throws a white prom, to the dismay of some of the students. But in the end, the integrated prom happens, and goes off without a hitch. The filmmakers cut back to Freeman, who says that he simply wants to give the students a place to socialize and talk, and it's clear this is accomplished. (There's a great couple of shots of the girl's bathroom where the black and white girls fall to talking about whose dress is the prettiest, and what their dates are going to be like.) Ultimately, this is a very hopeful film, that despite the outrageous ignorance and prejudice, racial harmony will out, especially in the hands of the younger (and wiser) generation.
Pushed: The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care, by Jennifer Block: I must confess that I read a great part of this book gaping in surprise and outrage; Edvard Munch's "Scream" and I sat on the couch, paging through chapter after chapter of alternately creepy and disheartening work on the over-medicalization of birth, demonization of midwives and their work, and the disenfranchisement of women from their own pregnancies. Block skillfully traces the history of medicalized childbirth from the early 1900s to the present day, weaving the historical information in between anecdotes from midwives who practice their work illegally and mothers who want to have a say in the birth of their children after horrific experiences where their wishes were ignored, and in some cases, their lives endangered. The saddest part of this narrative is, perhaps, the (difficult to substantiate) cases of women who've had cesareans with their first pregnancy who want to give vaginal birth with their second, but are told by doctors and insurance companies that they're not "allowed" to do so. In some cases, these women are able to find midwives (legal or otherwise) who will assist them, but in some cases, they simply go it alone (which can be deemed to be abusive to the child, depending on the State the birth occurs in.) Block also presents compelling evidence that the standard, hospital method of giving "natural" birth (the mother lying on her back, pushing, inducing labor, etc) isn't necessarily the most healthy method for mother and baby, either. Too often, she argues, births and the birth process are treated in a way that doesn't take into account the parents' desires and ultimately, threatens the health of mother and child.
Block, a former editor of Ms. magazine, is clearly bewildered why issues of childbirth and methods of delivery aren't part of more pro-choice/pro-women groups' agendas (and are, in fact, often ignored in political platforms of these groups). Having read this, I have to say that I agree with her confusion over this issue. Given the over-politicalizing of the early stages of birth/conception, I am surprised that the final months of pregnancy don't warrant the same kind of attention, especially with some of the stories that Block relates of women being arrested for trying to give birth at home, or the forced c-sections for women who say they don't want them. (One of Block's most interesting subjects is a vehemently Catholic, pro-life couple, who end up marching in the Pro-Choice march in Washington to support a woman's right to choose how she gives birth after the mother is forced to have a c-section by her doctors.) Ethically speaking, Block asks, do women have a right to natural birth, and at what point can the state step in, if at all?
Block's own agenda came through very loud and clear throughout the book; she's very anti-c-section. I didn't entirely agree with all her points on this issue and thought that trying to link flesh-eating bacteria infections to the operation, in particular, undermined her argument. What I came away with from this book is that when it comes time for my own pregnancy, I am going to call the shots, no matter what, but knowing this will be an uphill battle. (One of my life goals, which is to avoid major surgery, was definitely affirmed by reading this work.) However, after reading this, I certainly don't begrudge anyone else their choices in delivery, as long as those choices are well-informed and not governed by an overburdened, overinsured medical system that only cares about statistics and speed of birth.
On DVD:
Prom Night in Mississippi: Three years ago, Morgan Freeman's hometown, Charleston, Mississippi, was still having racially segregated proms. Freeman heard about this and decided that he wanted to do something about it; that the idea of having a "black prom" and a "white prom" in 2007 was morally repugnant. He offered to pay for the whole prom if it were integrated. This film chronicles that offer and the responses in the school and surrounding community, and ultimately, the prom itself, in 2008. The strengths of this film lie in its careful attention to detail, like the students emerging from rundown houses and trailers in their prom finery, or the touching relationship between one of the few interracial couples at the school, Heather and Jeremy. The students, as a whole, talk about racism rather wearily, something that their parents are afflicted with and that must be worked against in order to make the school and the community a better place. A group of parents (who refuse to be interviewed, except through their lawyer) still throws a white prom, to the dismay of some of the students. But in the end, the integrated prom happens, and goes off without a hitch. The filmmakers cut back to Freeman, who says that he simply wants to give the students a place to socialize and talk, and it's clear this is accomplished. (There's a great couple of shots of the girl's bathroom where the black and white girls fall to talking about whose dress is the prettiest, and what their dates are going to be like.) Ultimately, this is a very hopeful film, that despite the outrageous ignorance and prejudice, racial harmony will out, especially in the hands of the younger (and wiser) generation.
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-12 05:55 pm (UTC)Although I have no plans to have kids right now, I'm already opinionated. ;)
no subject
Date: 2010-02-12 06:03 pm (UTC)Exactly. I knew a lot of this from my time as a nanny and from watching Ricki Lake's The Business of Being Born which is an awesome documentary. I had a good friend up in Seattle whose first child was c-section and had a home water birth with her second because her OBGYN refused to let her deliver vaginally. It went really well. My boss at my last job? His mom gave birth to her first two kids in a log cabin in the mountains of New Mexico. Just her and her husband. Your body knows what it's doing. We as a species have been here for millenia! OBGYNs have only been around for a century or so. Sometimes they need reminding of that.
I blame Henry VIII.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-12 07:11 pm (UTC)I don't know about you, but I associate hospitals with SICK PEOPLE. I don't think my process of bringing a life into the world should be anywhere too geographically or symbolically close to death/dying. Call me crazy, but it's just as wrong as relegating breastfeeding mothers to bathrooms. (imho, it isn't a process similar to the vast majority of things that go on in a restroom.)
But at the same time, I'd like my midwife to have some medical knowledge and be able to recognize when I do need the attention of a doctor. There's no way I'm bleeding out on principle. Historically, childbirth has always been a dangerous process that can't really be performed completely alone. (Women typically had help of other more experienced women.)
Anyway, this conversation is clearly more interesting than work, but I think my boss will eventually notice that my productivity is at an all-time low today. ;)
no subject
Date: 2010-02-12 06:18 pm (UTC)I had an OB (not midwife, although the practice had midwives) and a hospital birth, and I was largely calling the shots. (Largely because Drew DID get stuck, and they had to get him out somehow. I adore my OB because 'somehow' did not involve pushing him back in and a c-section, and she did discuss with me during.)
There are things I'd do differently now that I know more, but this hospital - which, actually, is VERY medical with a lot of inductions and special cases, from what I understand - also has a hot tub and is very open to natural laboring. (I ended up with an epidural due to my desires, though. I was so done with the pain.)
no subject
Date: 2010-02-12 07:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-12 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-13 01:03 am (UTC)[soapbox] That being said, the idea of an elective c-section, to me, is horrific. It is right up there with Pamela Anderson having her lowest ribs removed so she could have a smaller waist. The idea of a doctor not encouraging every woman who can to give birth vaginally and when the baby decides s/he is done cooking, just because it isn't as convenient for the doctor/insurance companies/hospital nauseates me. To me it all stems from that same place where men want us to be as afraid of our vaginas as they are and because they are afraid they want to control them and make everything about them scary and traumatic and something they should make decisions about, not us. I know I am making sweeping, horrible misandrous generalizations here and I apologize, it's one of those days.[/soapbox]
no subject
Date: 2010-02-14 05:07 pm (UTC)