‘She was like a deer in headlights’: how unskilled radical birthkeepers took hold in Canada
In holistic communities and midwifery deserts, women are turning to the Free Birth Society for information and unlicensed providers
TL;DR
- The Free Birth Society (FBS) promotes an extreme version of free birth, encouraging women to forgo all prenatal care and give birth without medical professionals.
- Influential figures within FBS, like Yolande Norris-Clark, spread misinformation, falsely linking ultrasounds to autism and ADHD and downplaying risks like meconium during labor.
- The article details cases of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and severe harm to mothers and infants associated with FBS-influenced births.
- FBS has generated significant revenue through courses and online content, despite a Guardian investigation identifying 48 cases of harm linked to the organization.
- Unlicensed birth attendants, some trained by FBS, are facing legal scrutiny, including charges of manslaughter and warnings from health authorities.
- Critics accuse FBS of false advertising, with claims that their courses falsely present 'radical birth keepers' as trained midwives.
- Women are drawn to FBS due to negative experiences with maternity services, mistrust of the medical establishment, and a desire for 'sovereign birth'.