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Are Irish women wimps? - part two

I had little reaction to my Diary Entry (September 20) about Irish women opting for epidurals. Perhaps people are too annoyed to talk to me, or perhaps they are just muttering between themselves rather than communicating openly. Or else they are not bothered at all.....

However, I did receive this reply and have permission to reprint it here:

Dear Andrea

I recently read the article you posted 'Irish Women are Wimps' and was deeply offended by it. I do agree with your views on epidurals and so forth I just take issue with how you present the arguments and with some of your statements. For example I studied Irish womens' history and therefore am aware of a number of vibrant women's movements that challenged the patriarchy of the State since the 19th century. Also as far as I am aware despite a vibrant women's movement in the US, the epidural and caesarean rate is still very high so by this definition are American women wimps as well. I dislike sensationalism and I feel that is what you were trying to do with this statement, it is a very blanket one and I feel it takes from your very valid argument concerning intervention in childbirth. As i said I agree with a lot of what you say, but having first read the headline, I read the article feeling annoyed and angry.

Yours

Mary Tighe (a Irish feminist!)

I responded to Mary as follows:

Dear Mary,

Thanks for the feed back. Yes, I was sensationalist - I wanted to attract attention and get women thinking. I sometimes put a post onto the Irish Midwifery E list, but this is a very "closed" list where midwives and others are afraid to speak out because they fear retribution. Therefore I decided this time to write on my Diary.

There are some wonderful women in the US speaking out, as you say, and I particularly think of Doris Haire, Robbie Davis Floyd and Ina May Gaskin (amongst others). The fact that they have not changed the outcomes in the US is because of the health care system and the vested interests of the doctors and HMOs, but that does not stop them constantly speaking up in the media etc. And yes, I would say that many American women are wimps as well!

In Ireland, I see very little evidence of Irish women speaking out in the mainstream media, for example, about the chronic abuse of women in the maternity care system and the lack of choices for women. There are a few, but they receive little support from their own colleagues, and there is often an orchestrated campaign to undermine what they are saying. Where are the media stories of the shocking abuses that went on in Drogheda? Where is the debate about real choice for women regarding birth place? Where are the voices publicly talking about home births, water births, birth centres and doulas?

What I hear when I visit Ireland (several times each year) are women whispering behind closed doors, afraid to speak out even amongst their colleagues because they fear they will be reprimanded, censured or especially lose their jobs. Until women in Ireland make themselves heard and work collectively and collaboratively to achieve change, then women in the community will not hear of any other ways of managing birth other than the mainstream medical views.

Regards,

Andrea

Does anyone else have any thought to share on this issue?

Posted by andrea at October 01, 2006 12:19 PM