The Skeptical OB

I’ve been writing for more than a decade about babies and mothers whose lives have been sacrificed on the altar of the British midwifery’s “Campaign for of Normal Birth.” Radical midwifery theorists believe “normal” birth is birth without pain relief or interventions of any kind, even interventions designed to ensure safety. Parliament has now issued […]

In the 21st Century United States we speak disparagingly of superstition. Superstition is supposedly a feature of backward, primitive cultures, not our culture. According to Wikipedia: Superstition is a pejorative term for any belief or practice that is considered irrational or supernatural: for example, if it arises from ignorance, a misunderstanding of science or causality, […]

What’s wrong with anti-vaxxers? Why do they cling to absurd and nonsensical conspiracies despite the fact that they’ve never been right in the entire 200 year history of the anti-vax movement? The dirty little secret: They’re psychologically weak and emotionally needy; anti-vax eases their sense of powerlessness and fills a desperate desire to feel both […]

I spend my days wrangling with science denialists on the Skeptical OB Facebook page. I don’t really argue with them since a doctor can no more argue science with a denialist than a mathematician can argue calculus with a four year old. Neither denialists nor four year olds know enough to come to grips with […]

One of the most amazing traits of human beings is the ability to empathize with others. We don’t have to lose a parent to imagine how devastating the loss of a parent could be and therefore we offer our support. We don’t have to experience a divorce to imagine how devastating the end of a […]