REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE; NOT JUST ABORTION, NOT JUST WOMEN VIRTUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
MAY 4, 2022
HOSTED BY: Institute for Ethics in Public Life
Organizing Committee:
Gloria Bobbie
Jonathan Slater
Richard Robbins
Michael Devine
John McMahon
Technical Advisor:
Alyssa McGovern
REGISTRATION OPENS APRIL 5
SAVE THE DATE
TICKET PRICE: $25.00 U.S.
Ticket price includes admission to all sessions PLUS a coupon code good for 50% reduction in the viewing cost of the Birth Time Documentary. If you would like to view the documentary prior to attendance, go to https://www.birthtime.world/ and use coupon code SUNY50
Limitations set by ZOOM Events and PayPal prohibit us from accepting registrations until 29 days prior to the opening of the event. At that time, you will be able to click on the following link to register. Link is not active until then.
https://events.zoom.us/ev/AJVgVoOTSwXM2-r3OxkWTwbdg1LutnsVuwR6rqSfr6Jp4L-_0KcXYdH5nkpabZAxxZZ8LyM
Anthropologists and other social scientists as well as many
in the field of healthcare have for decades published articles on the
detrimental effects of the medicalization of pregnancy and birth.
There is no dearth of information in the academic databases, yet little
progress has been made in stopping the harm being done by unnecessary medical
procedures such as non-medically necessary Caesarian sections (World Health
Organization, 2021).
The politicizing of abortion and the ensuing abortion debates have for almost a
decade distracted from the topic; however, “Birth Time: the Documentary” (Eagle
Rose Productions, et al.) brought
back into focus the harm being done as a result of unnecessary medical
procedures. There is no doubt that these same procedures have saved the lives of
many women and newborns when medical problems have arisen, but when used for
convenience, scheduling or profit, they cause harm and we must consider the
ethical implications of performing unnecessary medical procedures on women’s
bodies.
The video offers first-person stories through interviews of
women and their partners who felt traumatized by their birth experiences as well
as confirming testimony from experts in the field that represent the global
issue. It offers important insights
into the problems inherent in our medical systems that lead to women feeling
traumatized and often suffering from postpartum depression or PTSD after the
birth of a child, the helpless feelings experienced by partners and fathers who
feel left out of the birth experience, an understanding of how denial of culture
affects minority women and also why those in the medical fields often feel
compelled to work in a system they themselves do not support.
Anthropologist Gloria Bobbie has researched the medicalization of pregnancy and birth for over 25 years and her interest was reawakened after coming across the documentary. A survey of the current literature on the topic determined the documentary to be in alignment and out of this came this conference. The maternal healthcare systems globally are flawed and action to bring about change is critical to the health of women and families.
Through this conference we hope to bring together people throughout the globe who can share knowledge of the issues to create an awareness of the depth of this problem and the harm that is occurring world-wide as well as to explore possible solutions.
REFERENCES
Eagle Rose Productions and Sparrow Studios (Producers) and
Hunter, J. Naylor, Z. and Sutton, J. (Directors(. Birth Time: the Documentary
(Motion Picture). Australia.
Available Birth Time World https://birthtime.world
World Health Organization. (2021). Caesarian section rates
continue to rise, amid growing inequalities in access: WHO.
Accessed
https://www.who.int/news/item/16-06-2021-caesarean-section-rates-continue-to-rise-amid-growing-inequalities-in-access-who#:~:text=According%20to%20new%20research%20from,21%25)%20of%20all%20childbirths.