That's Fit

The Business of Being Born is about just that. But it's just as much a statement that the Feminist Movement is far from finished and many women aren't informed enough to continue the plight. The film itself could change that as it offers viewers a vast education on why the treatment of pregnant women during childbirth isn't just sexist, but costly and dangerous for them and their children all in the name of doctors keeping their jobs and covering their back sides.

I caught a screening of the Ricki Lake production last night. It was one of several that are part of an Oscar qualifying run in advance of a planned January theatrical run in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The movie reflects the ignorance of many American women regarding childbirth and chronicles how informed mothers' desires and questions are systematically ignored, ridiculed and at times downright demeaned before they are given a series of unnecessary medical procedures and drugs in the name of the supposed safety of their babies. Specifically, the film examines normal, healthy women undergoing traditional hospital birth amid a rising Cesarean section rate in the Unites States versus at home with a midwife's assistance.The film spotlights intimate birth stories with striking but serene imagery and weaves the overall story together with historical, political and scientific insights and statistics about the current maternity care system that one subject describes as "in crisis." Director Abby Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film and subsequently agrees to share her story that ultimately makes the case for why emergency medical intervention has a place in maternity care, just not for every birth.