dairy_queen:

"Don't you have some housecleaning to do?"

LOLOL. Not only have you demonstrated that the typical homebirth advocate knows very little about childbirth, nothing about science and nothing about statistics, you've also done exactly what homebirth advocates tend to do when their lack of knowledge is exposed for all to see. You've resorted to classic sexist put downs of another woman.

Oh, the irony. The same people who babble about "empowering" birth and prattle about the patriarchial medical system, reflexively resort to sexism when challenged. Hence the comments about housecleaning. Interestingly, all the men who created and promote "natural" childbirth have not delivered any babies recently (some have never delivered babies), but homebirth advocates have no trouble accepting what they say (even if they make it up).

My goal is not to convince you of anything. I deal in facts and you glorify your personal opinion. I do hope that people who have been following this discussion walk away with the salient points:

The existing scientific literature shows that homebirth has an excess of preventable neonatal deaths compared to hospital birth of comparable risk women.

The scientific papers that CLAIM to show that homebirth is as safe as hospital birth are based on deception. They compared homebirth of low risk white women to general neonatal mortality rates including all races, all gestational ages and all complications.

The so called "risks" of medication in childbirth are almost entirely fabricated by "natural" childbirth advocates in an effort to impress themselves with their supposed superiority.

Childbirth is and has always been INHERENTLY dangerous for both mothers and babies. Just as pregnancy has a natural miscarriage rate, childbirth has a NATURAL death rate.

"Natural" childbirth was fabricated by Grantly Dick-Read because he was a racist and sexist and wanted white women to stay home and have more children than their "inferiors".

Women have the right to give birth at home. They also have the right to receive accurate information about the risks in order to make an informed decision.