A Netherlands study showing that midwife-assisted homebirths are at least as safe for low-risk mothers as midwife-led hospital deliveries and Did you know that defence lawyers in NSW and other Australian states can subpoena counsellor records of rape victims on behalf of the alleged rapist? Without the victim’s knowledge?
health
…And objects can’t cast shadows in a vacuum! AAP & formula funding April Fool lawsuit threat
I’m not normally a big fan of April Fools jokes, since most seem to be about the pointless taunting of individuals for being “gullible”. For this one, though, I’m making an exception. Because I love a delicious defamation-allegation hijinks story,… Read More ›
Feminism and birth in Australia: moving from stat-wrangling towards a reproductive choice perspective
I’ve been looking for the most recent official stats on homebirth and hospital birth mortality in Australia. I can’t find 2007 or 2008 figures, but there are 2006 figures available. Australia’s mothers and babies 2006 The Australian Institute of Health… Read More ›
More outrage over sex ed for youngsters: The Hormone Factory
Ostrich parents in Queensland are said to be up in arms today about a sex education website aimed at Grade 7 students. The site, thehormonefactory.com (warning:website sound), contains a selection of pubertal anatomy and physiology, basic sex information, talk about… Read More ›
Word of the Day – Hyperbole
Hyperbole (pronounced /ha??p??b?li/ hye-PER-buh-lee; “HYE-per-bowl” is a common mispronunciation) comes from ancient Greek “????????” (meaning excess or exaggeration) and is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create… Read More ›
Idle musing
For all those pharmacists and nurses and doctors out there who think that they ought to be able to have a conscience clause regarding abortion? To the point of not even referring patients to willing medical practitioners?
What do you think about the idea that a pacifist should be able to join the military and expect to draw a pay check and advance in rank while exercising a conscience clause with respect to weapons that kill people?
Yet another comparison of lactation to the Reich
A number of people have contacted me wondering whether I’m going to say something about the Atlantic Monthly article. I think it’s had way too much oxygen already, and I really don’t want to devote hours or days of my… Read More ›
WA Milk Bank: 470 premature babies served
I love a story that brings a smile to the face! The West reports that my local breastmilk bank, the Perron Rotary Express Milk Bank, has seen 830 litres of milk go through its doors since it started in August… Read More ›
Disgusting
Demotivator made by moi. Feel free to download and share from the Flickr page (click on the pic). Backstory in The Guardian.
More confected fat-baby epidemic panic? The “increasing trend” that isn’t.
This supposed ongoing upward trend in birthweight has been used as an excuse for absurd levels of inductions of labour and skyrocketing C sections, and a springboard for blaming lazy, old, fat, neglectful mothers for the “obesity epidemic”, childhood cancer,… Read More ›
Hoyden About Town 