Posts Tagged ‘wax metaanalysis’

• What is wrong with obstetrics in the US?

  Date: 2010.10.27 | Category: Hospital Birth | Response: 11

  Over at the feminist philosophers‘ blog, questions are being raised about why the recent Wax meta-analysis, which concluded that hospital births were less safe for mothers than homebirths, did not lead to a discussion about the shortcomings of modern obstetrics in the United States. The study  has been used as a launchpad to criticize homebirth, and is flawed in many ways (read more about why here). It has largely served the purpose of anti-homebirth advocates to illustrate their opinions that homebirth is not a safe childbirth choice. Indeed, we’ve seen no questions about what is wrong with the maternity care system in the United States. Let’s take a look at that now.

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• The Lancet’s editorial – read with caution

  Date: 2010.08.28 | Category: In the news | Response: 0

  An anti-homebirth editorial in the British medical journal The Lancet (titled “home birth – proceed with caution”) caused a lot of commotion this week. The Lancet is telling women that homebirths are not safe, and that they have to proceed with caution. Anti-homebirth folks are now using this editorial to attack homebirth as a valid and safe choice. It’s hard not to comment on this editorial, isn’t it? Sadly, a quick look at this editorial shows that it is little more than a “filler”, not based on real data, which was put together by the journal’s editors very quickly and without much thought. Let’s take a look at what is wrong with it.

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