The white homebirther’s burden

The white woman’s burden is never ending. Now, apparently, it is the white woman’s task to teach her unfortunate sisters of color how they ought to give birth.

Let’s presume for a moment that the self-proclaimed “midwives” (CPMs) of the Big Push for Midwives aren’t simply interested in cynically plundering the Medicaid coffers and take them at their word:

A report released by the CDC today found a 29 percent increase in home births from 2004 to 2009. The rate of home births among non-Hispanic white women underwent a dramatic increase, while the rate for women of color decreased or remained stagnant, a trend that reflects racial and ethnic disparities in other areas of maternity care throughout the U.S…

Barriers to out-of-hospital maternity care include … laws or policies in all but 11 … states that deny Medicaid coverage for home births managed by Certified Professional Midwives.

The fact that women of color don’t choose homebirth is portrayed as an “ethnic disparity” in need of remedy. Never mind that women of color might actually be pleased with their own choices for childbirth. Or perhaps — here’s a mind-blowingly outrageous idea — women of color ought to be the ones whose views are respected and emulated. No, it’s far more satisfying to pretend that women of color don’t know what they really want until they are “educated” by their white sisters.

The blogger at Balancing Jane is typical:

… [T]he women who are likely to choose home birth are more likely to be highly educated, married, and white. In other words, the women who choose home birth are the ones who benefit the most from privilege in our society. To me, this means that these are the women who have the greatest access to information and the greatest ability to go against societal standards for birth through informed self-advocacy. …

Of course, that presumes that the women who choose homebirth are actually educated and they’re not. They are distinguished primarily by their gullibility. Most of what they think they “know” is factually false and their personal experience is so limited that they have no idea what childbirth is like when you don’t have immediate access to high quality medical care.

Therefore, Jane fails to consider an equally plausible alternative explanation:

Women of color might have no interest in the fads that preoccupy privileged white women. Possibly they have more important things to worry about. For example, they may have medical problems and risk factors that privileged white women do not have to contend with.

As Janelle Harris writes on The Stir:

… I can’t hop on this bandwagon that homebirth brings black women closer to our African heritage. I’ll immerse myself in a native language, I’ll shell out a few grand to fly to the mother continent and trace my Guinean roots. Heck, I’ve already dedicated thousands of dollars and thousands more hours studying our history for a master’s degree in African-American studies.

But if and when I ever find myself pregnant again, I’ll have my baby in a hospital, thank you very much. If something goes haywire — Lord forbid — I want all the bells and whistles of modern science by my side to save me or my child.

Harris points out:

I agree that we come from a society that likes to overtreat and overmedicate us for every bitty thing. But most of Black women’s issues lie not in the hospitalization during labor, but the health risks we suffer leading up to childbirth…

The Amnesty International report on maternal mortality emphasizes this point:

The US government’s failure to ensure that women have guaranteed lifelong access to quality health care, including reproductive health services, has a significant impact on the likelihood of having a healthy pregnancy and delivery…

Insufficient access to quality health care services over a woman’s lifetime means that women are entering into pregnancy with health conditions that are untreated or unmanaged. This poses added risks for both the woman and her child. For example, women who become pregnant with uncontrolled diabetes are more likely to have a miscarriage or develop pre-eclampsia.

But it is not simply that women of color suffer from lack of access to the technology employed to treat women with pre-existing medical problems and complications of pregnancy, the factors most associated with high rates of maternal death. Many women of color don’t have the same interests or priorities of white women who choose homebirth. Indeed, lower income women of all ethnicity don’t have the same interests and priorities of the relatively well-off women who choose homebirth.

That’s not surprising. Homebirth is like following Martha Stewart. It’s delightful to bake your own bread when you know that you don’t HAVE to bake your own bread if you don’t feel like it. Similarly, it seems delightful to privileged white women to avoid the hospital when they know that they don’t HAVE to avoid the hospital if they change their mind. For other women, who don’t have routine access to high quality medical care, who have medical risk factors, whose home is not a domestic paradise, who have enough unmedicated pain in their own lives that setting themselves the “goal” of enduring more pain without medication is unfathomable, homebirth is an affectation they have no interest in emulating.

I don’t presume to speak for women of color. They can speak for themselves without my help. And frankly, I don’t think the white women of The Big Push for Midwives actually care about women of color beyond seeing them as the way to secure access to Medicaid reimbursements. Nonetheless, I think the assumptions behind their publicity campaign are demeaning and wrong. It seems impossible for them to imagine that women of color are the ones who are truly “educated” about the reality of childbirth, and that privileged white women ought to be emulating them.

129 Responses to “The white homebirther’s burden”

  1. February 23, 2013 at 12:43 am #

    that is why doctors do C/S now…duh!!

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. аудиокниги для детей - December 1, 2021

    аудиокниги для детей

    […]The data mentioned inside the article are a few of the best out there […]

  2. virtual card buy with cryptocurrency - November 30, 2021

    virtual card buy with cryptocurrency

    […]we came across a cool website which you may delight in. Take a appear in case you want[…]

  3. virtual visa card buy with cryptocurrency - November 30, 2021

    virtual visa card buy with cryptocurrency

  4. www.happyruck.com - November 30, 2021

    http://www.happyruck.com

    […]The information talked about inside the report are several of the best accessible […]

  5. NMD News - November 29, 2021

    NMD News

  6. happyruck.com - November 29, 2021

    happyruck.com

    […]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but really don’t get a whole lot of link appreciate from[…]

  7. Gorilla Trekking Trips - November 28, 2021

    Gorilla Trekking Trips

  8. CableFreeTV News - November 27, 2021

    CableFreeTV News

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine several unrelated information, nevertheless actually worth taking a appear, whoa did one particular find out about Mid East has got a lot more problerms as well […]

  9. Buy Moon Rocks Online - November 27, 2021

    Buy Moon Rocks Online

    […]Here are a number of the internet sites we suggest for our visitors[…]

  10. asus-phoenix-geforce-rtx-3060-12gb-v2-for-sale - November 26, 2021

    asus-phoenix-geforce-rtx-3060-12gb-v2-for-sale

    […]Here is a good Weblog You might Locate Exciting that we Encourage You[…]

  11. Mining Rigs - November 26, 2021

    Mining Rigs

    […]always a large fan of linking to bloggers that I adore but do not get a great deal of link appreciate from[…]

  12. Click Here - November 25, 2021

    Click Here

    […]usually posts some extremely fascinating stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  13. Rent a car Bar, Crna Gora - November 24, 2021

    Rent a car Bar, Crna Gora

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  14. best testosterone booster - November 22, 2021

    best testosterone booster

    […]Here are a few of the web pages we advocate for our visitors[…]

  15. kush carts - November 21, 2021

    kush carts

    […]usually posts some extremely interesting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  16. fake canadian money - November 19, 2021

    fake canadian money

    […]Every as soon as inside a whilst we pick blogs that we read. Listed below would be the latest internet sites that we pick out […]

  17. MURANG'A UNIVERSITY - November 14, 2021

    MURANG’A UNIVERSITY

    […]one of our visitors a short while ago encouraged the following website[…]

  18. MUSHROOM SPORE SYRINGES/VIALS/PRINT - November 8, 2021

    MUSHROOM SPORE SYRINGES/VIALS/PRINT

    […]check beneath, are some absolutely unrelated websites to ours, on the other hand, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  19. masturbators - November 6, 2021

    masturbators

  20. otelde sikin beni - November 6, 2021

    otelde sikin beni

    […]check below, are some totally unrelated sites to ours, however, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  21. realistic stroker - November 6, 2021

    realistic stroker

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  22. sig sauer rifles - November 5, 2021

    sig sauer rifles

    […]always a massive fan of linking to bloggers that I adore but really don’t get a good deal of link really like from[…]

  23. rawgarden.farm - November 5, 2021

    rawgarden.farm

    […]please stop by the sites we comply with, such as this one particular, as it represents our picks through the web[…]

  24. beretta guns for sale - November 5, 2021

    beretta guns for sale

    […]please visit the sites we follow, such as this a single, because it represents our picks from the web[…]

  25. savage grow plus ingredients - November 5, 2021

    savage grow plus ingredients

    […]just beneath, are several absolutely not connected sites to ours, nonetheless, they’re surely worth going over[…]

  26. kenya safari and gorilla trekking - November 5, 2021

    kenya safari and gorilla trekking

    […]check beneath, are some absolutely unrelated internet sites to ours, having said that, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  27. Uganda Tour - November 5, 2021

    Uganda Tour

    […]the time to study or take a look at the subject material or internet sites we have linked to below the[…]

  28. Gorilla Trekking Uganda Safari - November 4, 2021

    Gorilla Trekking Uganda Safari

    […]just beneath, are numerous absolutely not related internet sites to ours, even so, they may be surely really worth going over[…]

  29. samidoh - November 2, 2021

    samidoh

    […]we came across a cool website that you simply could take pleasure in. Take a appear when you want[…]

  30. bitcoin - November 2, 2021

    bitcoin

    […]one of our visitors a short while ago recommended the following website[…]

  31. dizziness - November 1, 2021

    dizziness

    […]please take a look at the internet sites we stick to, which includes this one particular, because it represents our picks in the web[…]

  32. Jolesfield CofE Primary School - November 1, 2021

    Jolesfield CofE Primary School

    […]here are some links to websites that we link to mainly because we assume they’re really worth visiting[…]

  33. Sig Sauer Handguns - November 1, 2021

    Sig Sauer Handguns

    […]we came across a cool web-site that you just might get pleasure from. Take a appear in the event you want[…]

  34. RissMiner - October 30, 2021

    RissMiner

  35. buy pills florida - October 29, 2021

    buy pills florida

    […]just beneath, are a lot of absolutely not related internet sites to ours, nonetheless, they may be certainly worth going over[…]

  36. market drop - October 27, 2021

    market drop

    […]here are some links to web-sites that we link to mainly because we consider they are really worth visiting[…]

  37. Henry Golden Boy Silver Lever - October 27, 2021

    Henry Golden Boy Silver Lever

    […]Sites of interest we have a link to[…]

  38. G19X COMPACT | 9X19MM - October 27, 2021

    G19X COMPACT | 9X19MM

    […]The details mentioned within the write-up are several of the ideal out there […]

  39. conheça as novas funções do whatsapp gb aqui - October 26, 2021

    … [Trackback]

    […] Find More Info here to that Topic: skepticalob.com/2012/02/white-homebirthers-burden.html […]

  40. Vertise - October 26, 2021

    Vertise

    […]one of our visitors not too long ago suggested the following website[…]

  41. online gym equipment - October 23, 2021

    online gym equipment

  42. graphics card for sale australia - October 21, 2021

    graphics card for sale australia

    […]please check out the web pages we follow, including this one, because it represents our picks in the web[…]

  43. Capuchin Monkeys For Sale - October 21, 2021

    Capuchin Monkeys For Sale

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a couple of unrelated data, nonetheless seriously worth taking a appear, whoa did one particular study about Mid East has got far more problerms too […]

  44. exotic weed - October 21, 2021

    exotic weed

    […]Here are some of the web pages we recommend for our visitors[…]

  45. boho coffee table set - October 20, 2021

    boho coffee table set

    […]The information and facts talked about within the post are several of the most effective readily available […]

  46. smith and wesson ez 9mm for sale - October 20, 2021

    smith and wesson ez 9mm for sale

  47. ROVE CARTS FOR SALE - October 20, 2021

    ROVE CARTS FOR SALE

    […]below you will find the link to some websites that we assume you need to visit[…]

  48. juul mint - October 18, 2021

    juul mint

    […]one of our visitors not long ago proposed the following website[…]

  49. background check website - October 17, 2021

    background check website

    […]the time to read or take a look at the subject material or websites we have linked to beneath the[…]

  50. buy weed online turkey - October 17, 2021

    buy weed online turkey

    […]The details mentioned in the post are several of the top readily available […]

  51. magic mushrooms - October 15, 2021

    magic mushrooms

    […]Every once inside a while we opt for blogs that we study. Listed below are the latest web-sites that we select […]

  52. Buy Stiiizy Battery kit - October 14, 2021

    Buy Stiiizy Battery kit

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine some unrelated data, nevertheless seriously worth taking a appear, whoa did a single learn about Mid East has got much more problerms as well […]

  53. emerge vartan bonded leather gaming chair - October 14, 2021

    emerge vartan bonded leather gaming chair

    […]although web-sites we backlink to below are considerably not associated to ours, we really feel they may be in fact worth a go by means of, so have a look[…]

  54. mossberg mc1sc - October 14, 2021

    mossberg mc1sc

    […]Here are some of the sites we advise for our visitors[…]

  55. landor arms tx 801 - October 14, 2021

    landor arms tx 801

  56. sig sauer p220 equinox 45 for sale - October 13, 2021

    sig sauer p220 equinox 45 for sale

    […]Every once inside a although we choose blogs that we study. Listed beneath would be the most up-to-date web sites that we select […]

  57. pdx1 12 defender - October 13, 2021

    pdx1 12 defender

    […]below you will come across the link to some sites that we consider it is best to visit[…]

  58. VANILLA BEAN STRAIN - October 11, 2021

    VANILLA BEAN STRAIN

    […]Here are a number of the internet sites we advise for our visitors[…]

  59. Buy Percocet online - October 10, 2021

    Buy Percocet online

  60. myloweslife - October 8, 2021

    myloweslife

    […]just beneath, are a lot of absolutely not connected web pages to ours, having said that, they’re certainly worth going over[…]

  61. web sajtovi - October 7, 2021

    web sajtovi

    Development of websites, mobile applications, portals and online stores

  62. aromatherapy for sleep - October 3, 2021

    aromatherapy for sleep

    […]Here are a few of the web sites we advocate for our visitors[…]

  63. ارقام بنات - October 3, 2021

    ارقام بنات

    […]very few sites that happen to be in depth below, from our point of view are undoubtedly properly really worth checking out[…]

  64. best male sex toys - October 2, 2021

    best male sex toys

    […]always a significant fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but really don’t get a good deal of link like from[…]

  65. FARMING EQUIPMENT FOR SALE IN GAUTENG - October 2, 2021

    FARMING EQUIPMENT FOR SALE IN GAUTENG

  66. Rwanda Gorilla Tour - October 1, 2021

    Rwanda Gorilla Tour

    […]The info talked about within the report are some of the most beneficial accessible […]

  67. Macbook akku ersetzen rüti - October 1, 2021

    Macbook akku ersetzen rüti

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  68. Masai Mara safari packages - September 30, 2021

    Masai Mara safari packages

    […]one of our visitors a short while ago recommended the following website[…]

  69. Livestock for sale - September 30, 2021

    Livestock for sale

  70. Pinball Machines for Sale - September 30, 2021

    Pinball Machines for Sale

    […]check below, are some entirely unrelated internet sites to ours, even so, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  71. Sig Sauer Gunshop - September 27, 2021

    Sig Sauer Gunshop

  72. Computer Repair Somerset - September 27, 2021

    Computer Repair Somerset

    […]here are some hyperlinks to internet sites that we link to for the reason that we assume they may be worth visiting[…]

  73. Referencement web - September 26, 2021

    Referencement web

    […]here are some links to websites that we link to because we feel they may be really worth visiting[…]

  74. Stiiizy Pods - September 26, 2021

    Stiiizy Pods

    […]usually posts some very fascinating stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  75. mp3 juices - September 25, 2021

    mp3 juices

    […]The information and facts mentioned inside the write-up are some of the very best out there […]

  76. download free apps apk for windows - September 24, 2021

    download free apps apk for windows

    […]Here are several of the web sites we advise for our visitors[…]

  77. pc games for windows 10 - September 24, 2021

    pc games for windows 10

  78. pc app - September 24, 2021

    pc app

    […]that would be the end of this write-up. Right here you will find some internet sites that we assume you will appreciate, just click the links over[…]

  79. pc games for windows 8 - September 24, 2021

    pc games for windows 8

    […]usually posts some incredibly interesting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  80. pc games for windows 7 - September 23, 2021

    pc games for windows 7

    […]the time to read or pay a visit to the content material or web sites we have linked to below the[…]

  81. pc apps for windows 7 - September 23, 2021

    pc apps for windows 7

    […]although websites we backlink to beneath are considerably not related to ours, we really feel they are truly worth a go by, so possess a look[…]

  82. projektownie wnętrz Gdynia - September 22, 2021

    projektownie wnętrz Gdynia

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a few unrelated data, nonetheless definitely worth taking a look, whoa did one particular study about Mid East has got additional problerms also […]

  83. blowjob sex toy - September 22, 2021

    blowjob sex toy

    […]that will be the end of this post. Right here you will obtain some websites that we feel you will value, just click the links over[…]

  84. Parkside School - September 21, 2021

    Parkside School

    […]always a huge fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but really don’t get a lot of link adore from[…]

  85. BUY MESCALINE - September 21, 2021

    BUY MESCALINE

  86. Golden Retriever Puppies For Sale Near Me - September 20, 2021

    Golden Retriever Puppies For Sale Near Me

    […]the time to study or stop by the material or internet sites we have linked to beneath the[…]

  87. Thc vape oil - September 20, 2021

    Thc vape oil

    […]Sites of interest we have a link to[…]

  88. big chief applejack - September 18, 2021

    big chief applejack

    […]check below, are some completely unrelated web sites to ours, nevertheless, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  89. laneige - September 17, 2021

    laneige

    […]Here are some of the web sites we advocate for our visitors[…]

  90. Thc oil cartridge - September 17, 2021

    Thc oil cartridge

    […]very few internet websites that take place to become in depth below, from our point of view are undoubtedly properly worth checking out[…]

  91. trip to murchison falls - September 16, 2021

    trip to murchison falls

    […]check below, are some completely unrelated web sites to ours, having said that, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  92. Google - September 12, 2021

    Google

    Very handful of sites that transpire to become comprehensive beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly nicely worth checking out.

  93. pmang-no1.com - September 10, 2021

    pmang-no1.com

    […]although internet sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not connected to ours, we feel they are actually worth a go by way of, so have a look[…]

  94. 안전놀이터 - September 10, 2021

    안전놀이터

    […]The facts mentioned in the post are several of the most beneficial available […]

  95. best in ottawa - September 9, 2021

    best in ottawa

    […]one of our guests just lately recommended the following website[…]

  96. best male masturbator - September 8, 2021

    best male masturbator

    […]The details mentioned within the post are a few of the top available […]

  97. adam and eve thruster - September 7, 2021

    adam and eve thruster

    […]check beneath, are some entirely unrelated web-sites to ours, however, they’re most trustworthy sources that we use[…]

  98. 1xbit download - September 7, 2021

    1xbit download

    […]The information and facts talked about within the write-up are some of the most effective offered […]

  99. best vibrating cock ring - September 7, 2021

    best vibrating cock ring

    […]we came across a cool site that you simply might love. Take a appear if you want[…]

  100. sex education - September 7, 2021

    sex education

    […]here are some links to web pages that we link to since we assume they are worth visiting[…]

  101. male stroker - September 6, 2021

    male stroker

    […]the time to study or check out the content or web pages we have linked to below the[…]

  102. link - September 4, 2021

    link

    […]although web sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not associated to ours, we feel they are in fact really worth a go by means of, so have a look[…]

  103. CTRLCOIN - September 4, 2021

    CTRLCOIN

  104. sites para ver futebol - September 4, 2021

    sites para ver futebol

  105. french streaming - September 3, 2021

    french streaming

    […]the time to read or go to the content or websites we have linked to below the[…]

  106. escort bayanlar - September 1, 2021

    escort bayanlar

  107. Decentralized P2P Network For Secured Loans - September 1, 2021

    Decentralized P2P Network For Secured Loans

    […]very few websites that occur to become comprehensive beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly nicely worth checking out[…]

  108. Marijuana Wax for Sale - August 31, 2021

    Marijuana Wax for Sale

    […]Sites of interest we’ve a link to[…]

  109. qombol - August 30, 2021

    qombol

    […]Here is a good Weblog You may Uncover Intriguing that we Encourage You[…]

  110. thick dildo - August 30, 2021

    thick dildo

    […]that would be the end of this write-up. Right here you will find some internet sites that we assume you will enjoy, just click the links over[…]

  111. huge dildo - August 30, 2021

    huge dildo

    […]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a number of unrelated information, nonetheless actually worth taking a search, whoa did 1 find out about Mid East has got extra problerms also […]

  112. vibrating handjob stroker - August 30, 2021

    vibrating handjob stroker

    […]below you will find the link to some web-sites that we believe it is best to visit[…]

  113. male p spot toys - August 29, 2021

    male p spot toys

    […]here are some hyperlinks to web-sites that we link to simply because we consider they may be worth visiting[…]

  114. สมัคร ruay - August 28, 2021

    สมัคร ruay

    […]one of our guests not too long ago recommended the following website[…]

  115. lottovip - August 27, 2021

    lottovip

    […]usually posts some incredibly interesting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  116. commercial real estate - August 26, 2021

    commercial real estate

    […]we came across a cool web-site that you just could love. Take a appear for those who want[…]

  117. MILF Porn - August 26, 2021

    MILF Porn

    […]below you will discover the link to some internet sites that we feel it is best to visit[…]

  118. web hosting reviews - August 25, 2021

    web hosting reviews

    […]usually posts some extremely intriguing stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  119. Male Masturbator - August 24, 2021

    Male Masturbator

    […]Here is a great Weblog You may Discover Interesting that we Encourage You[…]

  120. p spot massager - August 23, 2021

    p spot massager

    […]usually posts some very intriguing stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]

  121. best male strokers - August 23, 2021

    best male strokers

    […]below you will discover the link to some web pages that we think it is best to visit[…]

  122. remote control underwear - August 23, 2021

    remote control underwear

    […]The facts mentioned inside the write-up are a few of the best obtainable […]

  123. Google - August 20, 2021

    Google

    Check below, are some completely unrelated internet sites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use.

  124. locksmith seattle greenwood - October 5, 2013

    product…

    They have to answer all the queries of people because this consumers has right to know about business product….

  125. homeowners insurance fl - February 16, 2013

    Title…

    […]Here is a good Weblog You may Obtain Exciting that we Encourage You[…]…

  126. Cyprus Wedding Photographer - February 16, 2013

    Title…

    […]usually posts some quite exciting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[…]…

  127. gaming forums - February 15, 2013

    Title…

    […]usually posts some quite interesting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[…]…

  128. legalizacion de documentos - February 15, 2013

    Title…

    […]please pay a visit to the internet sites we adhere to, like this 1, because it represents our picks from the web[…]…

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.