HW 41 - Independent Research

ASPECT: How do figures, whose roles are to inform the public, involved in the dominant practices of birth, that includes abortion, use different mediums to influence how the majority of people perceive abortion as either acceptable or unacceptable? How do these efforts influence the way mothers make birth decisions? 

A.)

- Hartocollis, Anemona. "City’s High Abortion Rate Defies Easy Explanation." New York Times (2011): 1-2. Web. 30 Mar 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/nyregion/04abortion.html?pagewanted=1&sq=abortion&st=cse&scp=30>.

       Anemona Hartocollis, a mother and a metro reportor, takes a look at how pro-life and anti-abortion advocates perceive New York City's 41 percent abortion rate.  Religious figures have made efforts using religion as a catalyst to influence women in communities to make decisions dealing with abortion to comply with their beliefs and values.  Ruben Diaz Sr., State Senator of the Bronx, argues that abortion was "nothing less than an attack on minorities" and pushed anti-abortion ministers to promote this interpretation.  In contrast, Christine C. Quinn, the City Council, reasons that referring to "a woman's legal right to an abortion as a 'genocidal plot' is not only absurd, but it is offensive to women and to communities of color...Every woman deserves this right to make health care decisions for herself."  Women still seem to be ambivalent about their options in abortion and therefore the abortion rate in NYC remains essentially unchanged.

- Dominus, Susan. "The True Mission of ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’." New York Times (2010): 1. Web. 30 Mar 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/nyregion/12bigcity.html?scp=5&sq=pregnancy&st=cse>.

       Susan Dominus, a metro columnist in the NYTIMES, uses data from Naral Pro-Choice New York's yearlong investigation, to show that crisis pregnancy centers, including E.M.C. centers around the city, do not provide all alternatives and choices dealing with pregnancy, and are thus biased in providing certain services to women.  According to the National Cancer Institute, crisis pregnancy centers in NYC have been offering information that has been medically proven to be false.  In contrast, Councilwoman Jessica S. Lappin, Democrat of Manhattan proposed a legislation that requires the crisis pregnancy centers to make their mission, as a service to the community, clear, not misleading, to all women who visit the centers.  Women find it difficult to seek a pregnancy resource center with "no loaded history or agenda whatsoever" because most centers are partisan.  This article reveals what efforts are made to influence a community perception of abortion.

- Robbins, Liz. "Billboard Opposing Abortion Stirs Debate." New York Times (2011): 1. Web. 30 Mar 2011. <http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/23/billboard-opposing-abortion-stirs-debate/?scp=5&sq=abortion&st=cse>.

       Liz Robbins, a writer for the NYTIMES, reports the controversial anti-abortion billboard erected in SoHo by a pro-life group based in Texas called Life Always.  Stephen Broden, founding member of Life Always, reasons the erection of the billboard was not meant to be racially implicative but, coincided with Black History Month to highlight the disproportionate number of abortions among blacks.  In contrast, Joan Malin, the president of Planned Parenthood of New York City, found the billboard offensive because it focused on the high rates of abortion rather than that of unintended pregnancies.  Women in the SoHo area felt offended that the message of the billboard was only targeted at black women.  The billboard exhibits how pro-life groups attempt to provoke a certain group of people to think of abortion in NYC as genocide.  

- Johnson, Abby. Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey Across the Life Line. IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011. 288. Print.

       Abby Johnson, once Planned Parenthood leader, tells her story how she had gone from pro-choice to pro-life by joining Coalition for Life.  In this change, she embraces the "feeling of holy awe"(254). Johnson finds the pros and cons of both sides of abortion and argues that the most important goal in providing a pregnancy resource is educating people about all options and alternatives.  In a religious manner, Johnson encourages mothers to be open to all options instead of staying abortion-oriented.  Johnson's book can be found in Barnes and Noble in Religion/Inspritation under Christian Inspiration.  Johnson uses her own experiences as once an advocate of abortion and now, an advocate of pro-life to push readers to reveal the atrocious truths about anti-abortion groups.  This book is a perfect example of how a member of our society chooses to convey abortion, "the law of the land."

- Lorber, Janie. "Liberals Fight to Preserve Abortion Funding." New York Times (2011): 1. Web. 30 Mar 2011. <http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/liberals-fight-to-preserve-abortion-funding/?scp=81&sq=abortion&st=cse>.

       MoveOn.org, a liberal political action committee created a commercial that advertised the message that a woman shouldn't be forced to revisit the old means of aborting children by using a coat hanger, due to the curtailing of women's access to reproductive health care by the Republican Party.  Democrats at a news conference on Capitol Hill called the bills made to limit the access of contraceptive services a "war on women" because it would also mean reduced access to cancer screening and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.  In contrast, Republicans, like Mike Pence, believe that the spending cut on abortion funding is an opportunity to close the big federal deficit.  The majority of woman who have read Lorber's article are angered by the Republican's bills and somewhat ignore the video made to accommodate women's rights.  MoveOn.org's commercial is an example of the propaganda certain political figures use to induce biased ideologies of abortion.  

VIDEO: "We Won't Go Back" featuring Lisa Edelstein

B.)

       All the sources I have collected are all examples of how the media, certain people in the book industry, and political figures use different types of means to alter the way a group of people view abortion.  By researching this topic, I will have a better understanding of what people in our society believe is morally right and wrong in topics dealing with birth and abortion.  In the majority of my sources, I found that many authors used religion as a catalyst to persuade people to perceive abortion as a sin against God.  Others have made abortion, at least in NYC, seem like an attack or rather a genocidal plot against specific races.  On the pro-choice side, democrats approach abortion as a fight for women's basic right to their health care.  Having conducted this independent research, I want to interview my peers to examine their take on how they are influenced to look at abortion as either acceptable or unacceptable.  I will present to them some of the shocking arguments local important figures in our society have made about abortion that have influenced me to question Planned Parenthood's motives and that of other organizations alike.  After completing my culminating project, I hope to have a better understanding of my peer's opinions that surround the topic of abortion and their take on evaluating how their opinions came to be.

HW 40 - Insights from Book - Part 3

Book: Birth by Tina Cassidy


Bianca: Hey - thanks for writing Birth.  The main of idea of Birth that focuses on the culture, politics, religion, physical aspects, and anthropological aspects of birth and how all these aspects influence how a woman brings new life into the world honestly made me rethink about birth and pregnancy.  The practices and morals of hospitals today change based on the successes and failures of developments and new fads in the birth industry and it has revealed, to me, the gruesome things that women have had to endure in history.  Had I not read Birth, I would assume that when it came time for me to give birth, I would have jumped to comply with any suggestions and unnecessary interventions my OB/GYN would have offered, having in mind "doctor knows best." The rights of women, both emotional and physical, have been denied and ignored in light of whose preferences and desires reign above that of an another.  Birth has become a system where new advances are either made to make the process of birth easier for the OB/GYN or for the mother.  Because the latter is more ignored, I feel the need to educate my peers with the same knowledge that I received from reading your book.

Tina: Really, which parts were most effective or important for you? 

Bianca: Having finished Birth recently, I find it more preferable to talk about the last third of the book.  In the last third of the book you focused on the father's place, as a social construct and a biological figure, in the process of birth and the postpartum period a woman experiences after birth.  The latter was especially revealing and shocking because no one had ever brought up the topic, involving the emotional psychology of a woman after birth, to me.  The topic stands a problem that a lot of people ignore when in actuality, such topic deserves as much attention as when a mother decides how she wants to give birth.  The last third of the book really furthered your goal, as a writer, to bring forth the most important information a woman or rather, a human being, should know.  You chose to end the book with a rather neat summary of your entire thesis, which was extremely helpful to readers like myself.  The fact such influential aspect after birth isn't brought up as much as it should be is questionable.  You make readers question how important the postpartum period and the father's place in birth by bringing up insights: 

- "Fathers were not always disengaged: They had their own rituals and chores...Among the Huichol tribe of Mexico, in order to make the father a partner in the mother's pain, a string would be tied around his testicles; the mother would pull the tether as each contraction peaked." (201) 

- "Throughout the 1970s and even into the 1990s, men said they were happy to experience something as profound as birth.  But they increasingly found they weren't just coaches.  They also were protectors, referees, helping to ensure that the birth played out the ay the woman wanted it to." (208)

- "The lack of immediate contact between mothers and preemies had long-term, deleterious implications.  Contact is good for babies - and their parents - right from the beginning. And it improves not just their relationship.  Allowing time to bond helps increat chilhood IQ scores, keeps families intact, and reduces the likelihood of child abuse...the research helped convinced hospitals to change their nursery practices." (229)

Tina:  But, what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?

Bianca: I think your book did an excellent job of completing its mission in educating and making people re-think the birth industry and how it has come to be.  Your text sought to provide both shocking and heart-wrenching narratives, historical analysis of certain statistics that reveal the good and bad effects of our society's decisions to perhaps deviate from or further a practice, and journalistic analysis from the perspective of both an educator and a mother to better understand pregnancy and birth in our culture.  Given that you have succeeded to educate me and influence the birth decisions I will make when I am older to the extent that I want to recommend this book to others, your book proves to be one of the most important reads in my life.  The best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be to focus on how birth and pregnancy are limited experiences for mothers in this generation because I feel as if this focus would make a reader less reluctant to view Birth as merely an historical reference and a bounty of statistics.  Focusing on this topic would allow you to better touch on the process of birth in the perspective of mothers rather than that of those working in hospitals.  I find that what I am saying may pose to you as a criticism but let me reassure you that it is far from criticism.  I appreciate how much you have delved into the depths of birth and made it a mission to educate.  Your dedication to this important issue certainly shows through and has made me think about how a lack of knowledge of birth can lead to numerous bad scenarios that would mean certain death and how looking at birth as a "consumer movement"(154) is important because distinguishing what is beneficial to the mother, not to the doctors, will better help progress an outcome a woman desires to have and is comfortable with.  Having read your book, I'm inspired to do an experiential project on my own personal experiences with birth and document the insights I have picked up on through film-making differently as a result of your book.  I have a strange urge to document what I think of my mother keeping a part of my dried-up umbilical cord in a rather strange plastic box. 

Tina: Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!

HW 39 - Insights from Book - Part 2

MLA Citation:
Cassidy, Tina.  Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born.  New York: Grove Press, 2006.
       Print.

       Although they offer opposing view points, Birth and the "Business of Being Born" are certainly biased and advocate for the more "natural" birthing methods.  In "Business of Being Born," the directors and producers of the film do a excellent job in persuading its audiences that past practices dealing with birth have convinced women that they do not know how to birth - that birth is not their responsibility.
       It has been indoctrinated into mother-to-be's minds that the episiotomies and cesarean sections obstetricians suggest are the most effective and "safe" ways to progress the birthing of a baby when in actuality, such interventions are unnecessary and often lead to prolonged recovery times.  It is unfortunate that there are doctors who would make snap decisions to issue a c-section only in favor of their own time and desire to go home early instead of what is most beneficial for the child and mother.  In Birth, Cassidy treats this topic with more vigor and criticism.  She quotes William Smellie, a country doctor, who exhausted and exposed his methods to the world as blindly as he practiced what he preached: "Smellie instructed his students to keep quiet about any birth accident or bad outcome, such as a ruptured uterus, because competition between the men and midwives was intensifying, and he didn't want such tragedies associated with male attendants" (Cassidy 135).  We see now that birth is a contrived industry, a business that is solely dependent on how the industry's workers choose to let people perceive its methods and make them ignorant of their motives as business men instead of the cliche doctors who "save" the baby and mother.
       Cassidy tries to engage us into the idea that birth has become something that cannot be treated normally - it has become a disease, a medical problem that needs to be scrutinized and probed at.  Society has spent a prodigious amount of time making strenuous attempts to make birthing more "humane" while still using the anti-microbial silver tools to embrace the surgical part of the hospital.  Trying to make cesareans more "humane" was "a misguided mission" (Cassidy 127).  The birth industry had taken the wrong path because it had never focused on the normal and natural aspects of birth and instead decided to invest its time into training doctors to intervene and seek out complications.  After becoming more acquainted with this industry, I feel betrayed by society, or rather hospitals.  I had not known that doctors were as cold as they were depicted on television - that their decisions as doctors were not as altruistic as they seemed.  Then again, their roles in society were never selfless because they are reimbursed for what they do.  I feel as if I should be an apostate and choose to give birth on my own terms when I am older.
       There are a number of things that are worth knowing about pregnancy and birth that are not only present in our country, but in others.  "In South Korea, where cesarean rate is 43 percent, women prefer the operation - which they must pay for out of pocket - over vaginal birth because they want to preserve their narrow hips, believe sex will be better" (Cassidy 125).  It's ludicrous that women of this generation feel the need to make decisions about their birth based on their need to look atheistically pleasing instead of what is best for their children.  "If a woman has a written birth plan, she'll end up with an unplanned cesarean...there is powerful anecdotal information that says education or level of sophistication seems to lead to higher cesarean rates for such women" (Cassidy 125).The idea that knowing too much about Birth would be detrimental instead of beneficial has surely come across my mind.  The excess of information would induce my already pre-existing fear of birth that derived from society's obsession of portraying birth as painful and gruesome.  "Mothers, and hospitals fearing malpractice litigation, remain lulled by the sense of safety the beeping devices offer" (Cassidy 121).  It's interesting that the very fetal monitors that have been so assiduously criticized, are the same monitors that provide comfort to mothers in labor.  This deserves public attention because it brings into light what society has indoctrinated us to think.  Birth is a "consumer movement" (Cassidy 154).  To think about birth as an industry is prudent because a mother would be aware of the dangers that are not so openly expressed in hospitals.  Lastly, learning how to manage fear and pain helps a birth become less painful and more joyful (Cassidy 147).  This is important because it has become common in our society to fear the pain that has become vivid through anecdotes that are lightly shared.
    
Factual Claim in Birth: "American episiotomy rates, which hovered around 90 percent in the 1970s, had dropped to 39 percent by 1997 and 20 percent by 2000" (Cassidy 144).

       I decided to assess the validity of this claim because such percentages were horrifying.  I realize my reaction may be because my mother had described her episiotomy as far from enjoyable.  The thought of mutilating a sensitive part of my body one day for wider canal for my future baby to go through doesn't lay well with me.  Thus, the 20%, a surprisingly big number, is questionable.  In my research I found that

"Among English-speaking countries, the U.S. had has the highest episiotomy rate, varying greatly from region to region.  One in three mothers who delivered vaginally in the U.S. from 1995 to 2003 had episiotomies.  Just under 40 percent of women delivering in the Northwest got them, compared to 27 percent of women living in Western States."*

It seems that Cassidy has provided us with solid evidence.  I find that such numbers do not provide any comfort for me, as I do not look forward to having an episiotomy in the future.  Though, somehow, I am thankful that Cassidy did provide us with such evidence.  It lets her readers know that interventions are very common and should be avoided in the event that her readers do, in time, give birth.  Anecdotal stories about episiotomies, like that of Melissa Moskowitz, may prove to be shocking enough, but statistical information does equip us with some arms to possibly argue and go against operations that are unnecessary.


*Boyles, Salynn. "Experts: Too Many Episiotomies in U.S.." Fox News. N.p., 26 08 2005. Web. 22 Mar 2011. <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,167196,00.html>.

HW 38 - Insights from Pregnancy & Birth book - Part 1

1. How is the book organized?
       Tina Cassidy discusses how Birth has been dealt with and what certain developments and advances have been made during certain periods of time.  She begins her book by explaining why the evolution of how our society deals with birth is important and the overall reason for her extensive interest in birth.  Establishing the main idea from the very start of the book, Cassidy talks about the difficulties of child birthing that arise in our society and then goes into detail about the failures and successes of it's attempt to make Birth "in a way that is - simultaneously and consistently - safe, minimally painful, joyful, and close to nature's design"(Cassidy 8).  Cassidy presents and explains a major problem first then proceeds to talk about what led to the problem before consequently explaining how the same problem leads to changes in how we decide who can be present at a birth, the methods used by midwives and doctors, and how such methods become acceptable in society.

2. a) What is the major question that the book tries to answer?
       The author of Birth engages her readers into the history of childbirth.  The major question that the book tries to answer is: How has birth changed over time in terms of culture, politics, religion, physical aspects, and anthropological aspects of birth?  And how do these factors influence how women bring new life into the world?
    b) What responses do you have to that question?
       Having read the first few 100 pages, I can say that I have learned several things that will either influence me to become engrossed in the errors a birth is vulnerable to or benefit me in that I will not be ignorant of what embodies the responsibility of bringing new life into the world.  Had I not read any of Birth, I would not have acknowledged the shocking deaths/murders midwives, otherwise known as "witches" in the Early 1500s across Europe, had experienced because of their "superstitious" usage of herbs and incantations.  Today such methods would still be considered eccentric by the majority of society but, in any case, our lack of knowledge and belief in methods that are separate from those of a "sterile" hospital could never justify the death of a midwife.  We must take into account that these methods were put to use in order to make the arrival of a healthy baby occur and if this purpose does not triumph over a people's biased fears of certain methods then its only logical to worry about what our society considers important.

3. a) What is the major insight that the book tries to communicate in the first 100 pages?
       The major insights that the book tries to communicate in the first 100 pages is that the midwife's role in society has both dwindled and risen several times, different locations that women give birth at each have its advantages and disadvantages so, a middle ground between "the lack of a safety net at home and the dehumanizing hospital" (Cassidy 69) is needed, and women's fear of birth has driven women to resort to any means to avoid pain.
    b) What is your response to these insights?
       I'm not exactly sure why midwives have never had stable roles in society - they serve a great purpose which is to help the process of populating our species.  To be frank, if such purpose is not important enough to appreciate the roles they play then what is?  When it comes the time I give birth in the future, I want to be able to make the decision of where I will birth my child.  Though I doubt it will be a easy decision to make, perhaps the factory-like environment of a hospital will be intimidating to the extent that I consider delivering my own child in the boundaries of my own home separate from the cliche white coats and sharp needles in a hospital.  While the location of birth is important, the pain that comes along with birth cannot be unheeded, however, it would be preferable to not analyze the suffering because I am far from the day that I actually do give birth.

4. What are five interesting aspects of pregnancy and birth that you and the author agree deserve public attention?
       - A mother's birth plans and preferences should be taken into account instead of being unheeded, thus decreasing the need for intervention by doctors.  Often intervention tags along side with unnecessary pain, prolonged recovery, and overall discomfort.
       - Because our consciousness has given us the ability to think and process thought, our prevalent fear of pain from birth has not wavered.  Most women are, in fact, willing to do whatever it takes to "ease" the suffering.
       - Our access to abundant amounts of food have led to abnormal diets for pregnant women.  Although the food is also shared by the fetus and is helping develop its brain, the diet is not aiding in making women's pelvises any more larger to be able to push a baby's head out therefore, pregnant woman should keep a healthy balanced diet in favor of the fetus and the mother - in light of less pain relief drugs being used during the birth.
       - Combining the amnesiac scopolamine could make a pregnant woman "fall into a semiconscious state and emerge hours later with a baby in her arms, remembering nothing that happened in between.  In truth, she'd feel pain; she would just not remember it" (Cassidy 91).  This deserves public attention because people often are mislead to believe that there is no pain involved and "twilight sleep" banishes the suffering of childbirth, which is incorrect.
       - Epidurals have replaced chants, herbs, and breathing techniques.  Epidurals have become the easy route to relief.

5. Think about the type of evidence, the source of the evidence, and the way the evidence got communicated.  Does the text convince, do you find it honest and accurate?
       The text does a great job convincing me.  Having gotten through most of the book, I'm afraid that there is no simple way of giving birth - the modern antiseptics and methods that are used are surreal, simply horrifying.  The picture of the epidural left enough time for me to cringe away from the book and attempt to forget what I had just seen.  I liked the fact that the entire book began with somewhat of an anecdote - it helped me get to know the author better and what led her to her beliefs.  The evidence she provides is remarkably statistical.  Though, she does not make the statistics the focus of her writing and instead makes the historical accounts of birth compelling with the use of good organization and diction.  By looking at the endnotes, it's obvious Cassidy did a prodigious amount of book reading and interviewing people, therefore, I trust that the majority of the statements she makes are backed up by evidence.  Cassidy is truly honest - often she subtly places her own beliefs, opinions, and fears in her writing without completely digressing from the core information.  If I hadn't looked at the endnotes, the quotes in her writing would be questionable.  Although, if there had been a bounty full of citation marks in her actual writing, I probably would have been more reluctant to read the Birth.

Works Cited
   - Cassidy, Tina.  Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born. Grove Press. 2006

HW 37- Comments on Birth and Pregnancy Stories

FROM Leah (group member),
Bianca, I enjoyed reading your post. I liked how you talked about the women's appearance and how they responded answering your questions. One part stood out to me when you talked about your mother, about the pain she was having which brought her closer to you in the womb and her starting a new life with a new child.  I like how you mention that having a child could possibly bring family together because I think that happens with my family often.  We have kids and then we become closer as a whole and forget the other negativity in our life but focus on the baby.  Keep up the good work, I look forward to reading more.

FROM Abdul (group member),
Your most beautiful line was, "However my mother said the pain she endured was a mark forever in her mind because it was the beginning of new life, like that was somewhat of her own." I believe this is a very strong point and one of which i've never heard before. The pain your mother endured was a mental mark in her mind for two the good and the bad.  The good was because it was the bedinning of new life which resulted in you.  Then there's the bad because I'm sure it hurt her so much and she will probably never forget it again.  You also ended your post on an incredibly strong note, you ask one or more questions giving the reader something to think about and potentially comment on with their thought.  This is a brilliant strategy. To answer the question "Is it pain that created the automatic bond between the mother and child?" I believe so indeed when it's all said and done, the mother realizes what all her effort and pain brought her, a beautiful baby. I'm sure most mothers believe it's worth it.

FROM Alina (Substitute Mentor),

Bianca, you did a great job with this post. I enjoyed reading about it and one particular aspect of your work caught my attention; it was really easy to create mental images in your head while you were describing the mothers and I could almost see the way your interviews took place! There were many interesting points that the mothers brought up and which you further discussed in your descriptions that I haven't thought of before. I also liked the way you ended your post with a question, leaving the reader to work out the answer for themselves. I think this is a great piece and quite honestly I can see it being developed into something big and brilliant. Keep it up!

FROM Spencer (Protege),
I really like the idea about "the theory that parents choose to have kids because kids are like puppets, in which parents can vicariously live through and wish to fulfill desires that have already waned as the parent's youth has become more or less nonexistent" It makes me think about how children are raised and how much they can reflect their parents.  Good job!
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FOR Leah (group member), 
I like that you mentioned that hearing about your own birth was rewarding in that it offered you a great deal of happiness.  It was certainly something I did not think of doing- though it is clearly beneficial.  When you began narrating the second birth story, I liked the fact that you mentioned the pregnancy books. I wish you had elaborated more on that idea- perhaps you could have related it to the way our culture deals with birth.  Relating all your analyses back to the over-arching point of the dominant social practices in our society that surround birth is important.  While I admire your ability to write concisely and to-the-point, I would suggest that you add in more flavor and details to make your writing even more thought-provoking.  You should definitely proofread/go over your writing more than once to polish up your writing.  I, too, also look forward to reading more of your work.

FOR Abdul (group member),
Great work!  Your words transformed into vivid pictures to the extent that I felt as if I was intruding on someone's personal experiences.  I like how you mentioned the ideal age to conceive a child in your second paragraph.  All your stories portray the hardships that both the mother and father must bear in the event that a child would arrive soon.  I can tell that interviewing family members was quite an experience- the opportunity to gain insight was most definitely pursued.  After reading your writing, I began to think about how I would deal with such situations- would I abort my child if I were a teen?  What would I make of a father leaving me and my child?  This post was very impressive.