Being a Radical Doula (article)

[fearlessbirth]

This article doesn't necessarily represent MY views but thought it was interesting. Thoughts? Opinions?

Quote:

Being a Radical Doula How pro-choice advocacy and birth activism go hand in hand. By Miriam Pérez, Swarthmore College Monday April 16, 2007 How can the same person be a pro-choice activist and a birthing-rights advocate devoted to supporting women through childbirth? When I became interested in the rights of pregnant and birthing women in college, I never imagined there was a contradiction between my pro-choice politics and my newfound passion for midwifery. But a few months ago, Lynn Paltrow, executive director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, clued me into a longstanding divide between the pro-choice and birthing communities. She and her organization put together a groundbreaking conference that attempted to bridge the gap between these two groups, who rarely talk about each other’s issues...

Read the entire article here (click underlined link to view):
Being A Radical Doula

[Doula Hara]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fearlessbirth This article doesn't necessarily represent MY views but thought it was interesting.

it *ABSOLUTELY* reflects my views and my experience as a doula & reproductive rights activist, and im super excited to have read it, and to see it on alldoulas! this is another kind of dialogue that helps us learn from each other, and im excited to welcome it into our community.

my 2 deepest interests in this world are definitely birthing and abortion, both of which i support adamantly and am deepy committed to women's right and access to.

i just posted this in another thread earlier today, but now i realize it applies much more here: for me personally, my doula work is just one element of my reproductive rights activism. in college my major was Anthropology of Reproduction--studying the ways women interact with pregancy, birth, menstruation, birth cotnrol and abortion in their lives, and feminist alternatives to the conventional methods of each of these. this has become my life path in every way, and my doula work is an amazing part of that path. ive not only doula'd women through their births, but through miscarriages, abortions and infertility as well, and i see all of these as having equal priority for me. each doula client i have has the opportunity not only to learn about her options in childbirth, but also to learn about fertility charting as natural birth control, alternative menstrual products that are healthier, etc. this is my part of the battle for a better world.

ive never mentioned the word abortion here before, and i dont think i ever would have unless id read this post today. i assume that there are people in the alldoulas community on both sides of the abortion fence. even so, it feels as if youre just not supposed to ever mention it in case you might upset or bother someone. but the problem is, that type of silence bothers me.

ive wondered whether i will ever be able to feel like a true part of the wider birthing community. i dunno.

[fearlessbirth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doula Hara ive never mentioned the word abortion here before, and i dont think i ever would have unless id read this post today. i assume that there are people in the alldoulas community on both sides of the abortion fence. even so, it feels as if youre just not supposed to ever mention it in case you might upset or bother someone. but the problem is, that type of silence bothers me. ive wondered whether i will ever be able to feel like a true part of the wider birthing community. i dunno.

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I was searching for something 'political' that would spark interest and conversation. I was worried about the 'abortion' aspect but *hope* we all can be respectful and learn something from one another. Like I said, it doesn't necessarily represent MY views but I know there are some, like yourself, who are apart of this group of birth activists

[syncreo]

Hi,
Very interesting article and gave me some food for thought. Having entered the doula world from a feminist background I too have/had the assumption that most women in the birthing community would be pro-choice. For me the rights of women to make decisions about their own bodies is the bottom line - choice - real choice. I have begun to realize that for many doulas, midwives, birth activists etc this same belief may not be held. I am ok with that as I realize that we all come to this work for different reasons and we have different views. For me though, the doula work that I truly connect to is based in women's rights to choose and how this right to choice is marginalized in so many aspects of women's lives. It fuels my passion and doula and cbe work is one of my outlets.

Thanks for the article.

[fearlessbirth]

I also assume that most women are pro-choice but realize that many are not.

My stance is that I'm for women being educated on ALL aspects of pregnancy and birth and I feel they should be aware of what is actually growing in their bodies. I'm also what might be considered more of a 'baby activist' than a 'woman activist', if that makes any sense? I don't judge those who choose abortion because I have NOT walked in their shoes and it's not my place to judge. I do, however, feel that they should be counseled...not necessarily against it, but to know where their baby is developmentally, to see it on an u/s, to KNOW what the entire process entails physically, emotionally, mentally. I just hate hearing women say 'they told me it wasn't a baby' or whatever and no one ever told them what was really going on OR that they had more choices than just having an abortion. There is support out there for women who don't have great families or partners, etc. There's also adoption (but I know this is a whole other topic where women, esp young girls, could potentially be taken advantage of and made to feel inadequate...) Anywho...the moral of my story is I'm all for women being EDUCATED!

[DoulaVal]

I believe in informed consent on ALL procedures, but that in the end, the doula is not the person who decides those choices. I've never had an abortion, and neither have I had medications during pregnancy and/or childbirth. As a doula, I provide information to my clients on the pros and cons on all procedures, without weighing in on my personal opinion so as not to alienate them if they choose otherwise. I do not believe that women are given true informed consent in the abortion procedure for the most part. I also believe that life begins at conception, and whether you want a baby or not should not change whether you call it a "baby" or "products of conception". Just like I believe in true honesty in childbirth practices, that should extend to abortion and birth control options. If you get it, you should know the whole truth. That's my humble opinion.

[fearlessbirth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoulaVal I believe in informed consent on ALL procedures,

That's what-the-crap I was trying to say in all my rambling!

[CarrieG]

That was great to read, the article says a lot of things that I think but had never really put together. I am quite passionate about both subjects - the right of a woman to choose whether or not she wants to have a child in the first place, then where and how she wants to birth. It's pretty sad that we live in a world where it is debated what we may or may not be "permitted" to do...

It's so nice to find people who are interested in these things. I love this place!

[Doula Lori]

Disclaimer: I'm not speaking in representation of Alldoulas.com. This is my own personal view which I own.

This will probably be my only post on this thread, as this is a topic that so saddens me. I am an advocate for moms and babies. Aborting babies is totally opposite from that in my view. As much as I believe in a mothers right to choose in how she will give birth, I also strongly believe in the baby's right to live. If you could ask him/her, I'm sure that they would choose to live. We are even talking about baby girls...who should be our future women...whose rights have been stripped away.

When I was new in this doula work, I started out assuming that most in the childbirth field would naturally be pro-life. It was very hard for me to comprehend how doulas and midwives could be pro-abortion. It still is, actually. I guess that I'm not a radical doula by description of this article, and that is quite ok. I will go on supporting moms and their babies, which in my very strong opinion is anything but what I just read in that article.

That’s the logic that really connects the birthing and the pro-choice movements—if we support women and their decisions, everyone will fare better, including children.

Not necessarily. "Everyone" is a big word, and I think a few million little someone's aren't being included in this author's statement.

Know that I am only posting this because I know that there are others on Alldoulas who are on my side of this issue. I just thought I'd help this thread to be fair and balanced in perspective. I'm really not out for debate, so this will be my last word on it. I do hope that this thread will continue in respect. After all the discussion is said and done....we are still Alldoulas.

[CarrieG]

I understand and respect that there will be many points of view, it's quite interesting that the childbirth field attracts women from all different perspectives who want to support and help mothers.

I stand by my previous statement, I love it here!

[ScootchsMom]

Taking off my forum leader hat.....my views are pretty much the same as Lori's.

The article is missing one important point - the importance of the baby. In either issue - birth and abortion, it is wrong to focus only on the importance of the mother since the issues do not concern only herself, just as the same issues should not focus solely on the baby either.

I think women should be educated in their choices, and told the truth about procedures, whether it is in abortion or in childbirth, and they need to OWN their decisions.

Liz

[brilliant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by syncreo Hi, Very interesting article and gave me some food for thought. Having entered the doula world from a feminist background I too have/had the assumption that most women in the birthing community would be pro-choice.

i, too make the assumption that most doulas are pro-choice. obviously this is not always true but i think it's more "radical" to be anti-choice in this field of work.

[earthgirl]

I understand how contraversial this topic is, and there are definitely two sides of the fence, and both opinions should be respected, as I am sure they will be because that is the kind of community we are here at

Personally, I wish abortions weren't used as birth control (which they sometimes are)Ultimately women need to take responsibility for their bodies and their lives. That being said, I feel the right for a woman to have access to safe abortions should never be taken away. I come from the side that if you are against abortion then don't have one school of thought- popular or unpopular as that may be. I don't even know anymore.

But the bigger picture is to make abortion unnecessary, through education early on. Getting girls to acknowledge and respect and care for their bodies, who feel safe and loved in their families. This issue IMO is much deeper than the rights of the woman vs. the rights of the baby (inside the woman). Debating who's right who's wrong has never solved any issue...it drives the opposing sides further a part. I see and understand the feelings on both sides, but my personal opinion hasn't changed. I think it has to do with how we were brought up.

I am fascinated with birth psychology, coming from the baby's perspective. I wish all babies were consciously conceived, bonded with in utero, and born gently and naturally into the mother's waiting loving arms, giving the best nourishment from it's mother's breast, and grows into a beautiful human being for the good of all humanity. One can wish, but that is currently not the kind of world we live in today. That doesn't mean we can't strive for it.

[doula Michele]

I am like Lori and Liz...so really did not want to post on this topic. While I try to allow everyone their own beliefs. I know deep down in my heart and soul how I feel on the subject.

[ctowndoula]

My views are very similar to Lori's but I am excited just to see this article here.

I will never understand how someone can be pro-choice and not be an advocate for change in our current birthing culture!!! Talk about women's rights being stripped away. *sigh* Very good discussion and to all for keeping it so civil.