Rediscovering the social model of childbirth

The assumption is often made that women in a traditional birth culture are bound to benefit by its replacement with a medical system. In a technocratic system, birth usually takes place in an alien environment among strangers, with routine use of invasive procedures that are promoted by multinational drug and equipment companies. For many women, it is an experience comparable to rape that leads to posttraumatic stress disorder. We need to rediscover woman-to-woman support, celebrate birth as a social process, and acknowledge that it is a political issue.