Wednesday, January 9, 2008

The Business of Being Born

Ricki Lake has a new documentary film out about childbirth that asks the question, “Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?” The latter is how the current U.S. system treats birth, but Lake’s film suggests the other choice is better. The Business of Being Born makes the case for having a baby anywhere but in a hospital. Plenty of others have made this point in print (see especially Born in the USA and Birth as an American Rite of Passage), but a film by a celebrity could bring a much broader audience.

If you live in New York, LA, San Francisco, or Seattle, you can see the movie on the big screen in the next few months. Small screenings are scheduled at libraries and universities in other cities, and Lake and her director Abby Epstein encourage people to host their own screenings.

Check out their press room for reviews and articles about the film, including a cover story in Mothering magazine and an article in Salon.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great film to see but when I tried to get a ticket for the Seattle show they said it was sold out.

How do we get more/bigger showings?