Friday, September 11, 2009

Grassroots Network: TODAY show in bed with ACOG

Dear Friends,

Friday morning’s TODAY show included a segment about the “perils of home birth.” The show included a sad home birth (with a nurse-midwife) where the baby died of a cord accident, without mentioning that such deaths can happen in the hospital also, or addressing the US’s high perinatal mortality rate. Representatives of ACOG described home birth as “the equivalent of a spa treatment”! Definitely not even-handed reporting, but looks like ACOG is out to get media for their biased beliefs.

You can watch the segment at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32795933#32795933

You can read comments about the show (and add your own) at: http://www.newsvine.com/_question/2009/09/11/3252633-is-choosing-a-home-birth-with-a-midwife-worth-the-potential-risk. Almost all of the comments are pro-midwife.

And if you want to e-mail the Today show and let them know the real reasons more women are choosing home birth, or that you’d like to see an HONEST segment on home birth, you can write to them at Today@NBCUNI.com.

Finally, true to form, the Big Push has fired off an eloquent Push Alert (see previous post).

As the saying goes, any attention is good attention, or at least a great opportunity for getting more and better attention!

Thank you to the several individuals who brought this to my attention, including the links.

Sincerely,

Susan Hodges, “gatekeeper”

2 comments:

Jessica said...

Grrrrr!! I saw this clip today while I was at work and had the chance to listen to some of it. :(

Tiffany said...

I have seen this clip and found it sad and unsettling. Many CNMs on the listserv I subscribe to are shooting off emails to the Today show.

Tiffany