I'm a liberal born with the reserved temperament of a Northeastern WASP and bred in the South, and as such have always been an outside observer of the culture here. The South is basically a place of emotional excess governed mostly by strict societal expectations, which makes it such a perfect fit for the modern GOP. Writing the South off isn't the answer, but neither is pandering and/or attempting to sooth its citizens-- after all, if the Dems have to do that out of weakness, better for voters to go double or nothing with the GOP and try to dominate the rest of the country (also keep in mind that nutjob Republican lawmakers from here are a more effective contribution to a majority, from a regional POV, than less-powerful blue dog Dems). We need to work with what we have-- and make sure it does work-- and eventually the South will come along at least part of the way, out of economic need, embarrassment, whatever. They don't want to be left out, but the sad fact is that we can't really afford any more Southern politcal & cultural dominance in this country, seeing how much damage has been done in recent years, so the best bet really is to do a better job with what we have.

but no woman has an abortion on a whim

Personally, I'm far more troubled by the women who get pregnant on a whim-- understanding, however, that it is perfectly within their rights to do that as well, whether I happen to like it or not-- whether it's to try to secure an unstable relationship or because they're bored or just passive. Abortion is an active choice, albeit a less than pleasant one in the way that surgical procedures tend to be; however, carelessness with birth control, denial and/or passivity while pregnant, and indifferent parenting are far weaker and more generally ill-informed choices than recognizing the harsh realities of an badly-timed or otherwise undesirable pregnancy.

but aside from some old urban machines that mostly work over local challengers, we're not exactly fraudulent types overall-- it could be out of naivete or even a lack of a powerful enough ideology to drive us to crime, but generally we do like to believe that an engaged voting public is the main indicator of a healthy democracy. Plus, we're just too damned uncoordinated to cheat effectively.

The right wing excels at media management, and when things get rough, it always makes more sense to lowball expectations and declare a victory when those expectations are exceeded, however barely. If they can hold the Senate by one and keep Democratic House gains to twenty or so, expect Kristol and company to roll out a congressional spin to parallel Bush's 2004 "mandate."

makes such a project pointless, anyway-- it doesn't matter how many other women's pheromones I'm exposed to on a daily basis, if I'm taking birth control pills, then my period starts on day 24 (day 3 of the placebos) regardless.

Just a couple of points:

A doula is not the medical attendant at a birth; she is a support person for the woman. A monitrice is a medical professional who provides support as a doula does, and can check dilation, heartrate, etc., but they are rare. A doula does not replace a midwife or OB; she is simply there to help the parents cope with labor while medical personnel drift in & out, call the OB at the office, check the machines if any are in use, etc. She pays attention to the couple and acts as a liasion & comforter, but is not in fact a birth attendant.

The technique most commonly used to relieve shoulder dystocia is called the Gaskin maneuver, after the famous *lay midwife* who developed it, which is a point worth pondering. Umbilical cords are often around the neck, and only when it is very short and/or wrapped multiple times is it likely to be a problem, and even when it is a problem a decelerating fetal heart rate and/or a slowed descent usually give ample warning before there is a crisis. There are certainly serious problems that can develop during labor, but neither of those are typically all that terrible, although I suppose that a homebirth ambulance transport for a laboring woman forced to kneel with her butt in the air would be pretty unpleasant. Even in a hospital, though, repositioning the mother and other nonsurgical techniques often help.

I think what's so amusing, though, is that so many men chimed in with the drama and fury, their fears and assumed near-tragedies, of their own experiences and didn't seem to notice the extent to which they were supporting the point of the article, and-- to a lesser extent-- the positions of those of us who think birth is overmedicalized at least partly because it makes underinformed & anxious men feel better to have the professionals hauling out all the technology money can buy. For people like me, though, it's nice to share the miracle of birth with a partner, etc., but it's not a good enough reason to turn one's body over for slicing & dicing just because he or someone else is freaking out over bodily fluids/moaning/whatever instead of assessing a given situation calmly and trying low-tech solutions first whenever possible.