Stupidity at ICAN 2011: a top ten list

When it comes to good old fashioned stupidity, it’s hard to top the folks at ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network). Their biannual pity party conference was held this past weekend and I avidly followed their Twitter feed.

It’s been a very difficult task (there were so many contenders) but I’ve composed a list of the ten most stupid comments that issued from the conference:

#10 Robin Elise Weiss

Geraldine Simkins [President of the Midwives Alliance of North America] is singing a song she made up about birth activism. #ican2011 awesome!

#9 Baby Dickey

I don’t want #ICAN2011 to end tomorrow! Surrounded by women comfortable in their skin, like-minded and scarred like I am.

#8 Barefoot Birth

So happy ya’ll love our ‘Keep Your Politics Out of my VAGINA shirts!’ @ the #ican2011 conference!

#7 Unnecesarean

Goal is safe vaginal birth, not active management of labor.
[No, Jill, the goal is a healthy baby and a healthy mother.]

#6 birthing kristen

1st birth plan is written when we are children: stories we hear about birth, way stories are framed & presented.

#5 Deep South Doula

Tell your children the “magical story” of their birth. Birds chirping, soft snow, peaceful ~ etc Not…”you almost killed me”.

#4 Doula Mari

what are you doing to help raise awareness about skyrocketing uterine mutilation?

#3 Deep South Doula

Share your experiences especially positive ones. No one can debunk your experience like they can facts and figures.

#2 Monica Ruiz-Melendez

Birth story needs to be told as a hero’s journey… It’s important for women who’ve been shattered by birth to go out and collect the pieces of their Self and piece it together.

And the #1 most stupid comment from ICAN 2011:

#1 kell gill

If you can grow it, you can birth it.