Tesla Foundation Presentation Jun 11, 2006 Faith Gibson, LM, CPM

How can American believe that: The non-interventive care of midwives for healthy women is dangerous, while routine obstetrical intervention for healthy women is safest? Tesla Foundation Presentation Jun 11, 2006 ~ Introduction

A River in Egypt ~ and the Major American Tributaries of Denial – the dirty dozen plus one 1. Filling up America’s prisons and mental hospitals is the best way to deal with our domestic problems. 2. America can completely seal its southern boarders against illegal aliens and still have all the dirt cheap labor its employers want. 3. There is a military solution to terrorism, starting with Iraq. Iran and North Korea should be next. 4. Americans have a duty to export democracy around the globe via military means. However, Darfor is nobody’s business but the Sudaneses. 5. Deforestation of rainforests in Brazil to plant soya beans is good the global economy Tesla Foundation Presentation Jun 11, 2006 ~ Introduction

6. What ever is good for the economy is good for democracy. Global Warming is just a lie by anti-business liberals. 7. Pregnancy is a nine month disease that requires a surgical solution. 8. Childbirth is normally pathological. It must be conducted as a surgical procedure in a hospital by an obstetrical surgeon.

9. Normal vaginal birth is unbearably painful and inevitably damages both the baby and mother’s body. 11. The experience of normal birth is basically risky and has no value to either the mother or to society. Therefore vaginal birth should be eliminated in all modern societies. 10. Episiotomy, forceps or vacuum extraction are necessary for 70% of all healthy women having so-called ‘normal’ births.

12. The way to control the risks of childbirth through is thru surgical delivery. The best and safest form of birth is an elective or ‘maternal choice’ cesarean. Surgical obstetrics is the Roles Royce of obstetrics for the 21st century. 13. Doctors are the experts about childbirth.

Doubling the number of maternal deaths associated with Cesareans and other form of interference in normal birth is OK because we are buying better babies. Women should willingly sacrifice themselves for their babies. It’s the American way – medicalizing birth and death for the benefit of corporate America.

Obstetrical defines midwifery as a bad competitor A bad competitor is anyone willing to provide as good or better a service at a consistently lower level of profit Questions? Tesla Foundation Presentation Jun 11, 2006 ~ Introduction