A big shout out to my friends at the Human Rights in Childbirth Conference (HRiC). Why are they my friends? Because they demonstrate better than I ever could that homebirth advocacy is morally grotesque, ethically bankrupt and has an appalling contempt for both the truth and for the babies and women injured by homebirth providers.
I’ve written before about the morally grotesque campaign for human rights in childbirth. You or I might think that human rights in childbirth refers to making sure that all women have access to competent medical care, without regard for ability to pay, that incarcerated women not be forced to labor in chains, and that women have access to birth control. Don’t be foolish. Who cares about those women? The HRiC is about the “rights” of white, Western, relatively well off midwives, doulas and childbirth educators to do and say whatever they want and be paid for it.
But nothing says “fuck you” to babies, mothers and the truth like the above photo, taken at the HRiC Conference.
What does the picture show? According to the tweet that accompanied it:
Dr. Biter talks about how he was stripped of his OB privileges for supporting physiologic birth
You remember Dr. Robert Biter, don’t you? He’s the doctor who makes recently arrested “midwife” Rowan Bailey look like Mother Theresa by contrast.
Dr. Biter did NOT lose his privileges (at a hospital known for supporting physiologic birth) because he was supporting physiologic birth. He lost them because he was named in multiple malpractice suits. His license to practice medicine was severely restricted because of 7 separate instances that the Medical Board of California described as:
“gross negligence in his care and treatment” of a patient
“repeated negligent acts” performed on 6 additional patients
“prescribing without an appropriate prior examination”
“acts of dishonesty with respect to the care and treatment of patients”
“failure to maintain adequate and accurate medical records”
“general unprofessional conduct”
As a result of his conduct, Dr. Biter was suspended from the practice of medicine for 60 days, followed by 7 years of strict probation. However, AFTER Dr. Biter signed documents acknowledging the findings of the Board and the prescribed disciplinary action, but before the official start of the suspension, Dr. Biter presided over a homebirth death. He now faces the possibility of permanent revocation of his license.
In other words, there is absolutely no evidence that the multiple disciplinary measures faced by Dr. Biter have anything to do with physiologic birth. He has been disciplined for 8 separate instances of malpractice including the death of a baby at homebirth. He has been found grossly negligent, dishonest and unprofessional.
So why was he a featured speaker at the HRiC Conference?
Because when homebirth advocates talk about human rights in childbirth, they aren’t talking about mothers or babies, they’re talking about homebirth providers and their “right” to do whatever they want, whenever they want, without oversight of any kind, regardless of who is injured or dies in the process.
What about the human rights of the women and babies injured and killed by incompetent homebirth practitioners? They apparently have no rights at all.
So thanks again to my friends at the HRiC. I and others are working tireless to prevent the licensing of incompetent and deadly homebirth practitioners and you are working tireless to demonstrate why that is absolutely necessary.
Honestly, I couldn’t succeed without you.
