Women’s choices about where and how to give birth to our babies are being threatened, while women’s belief in the inherent ability of our bodies to give birth is being eroded. This is a dangerous combination for our planet as well as for mothers and babies! Amongst midwives there is a saying that "a woman births like she lives." The birth culture in a society is a microcosm and reflection of the priorities, hopes and fears of the larger world we live in. In birth and in our mainstream society there is an over-reliance on technology, a reluctance to question authority, a willingness to be a passive observer rather than an active engaged participant in one's life and community, use of fear as a means of control and power, and limitations on personal choices and freedoms in favor of a perceived guarantee of safety. To combat this cultural current, we can act in ways that offer an alternative in all areas of our lives. We can: QUESTION AUTHORITY, get to know our neighbors, know where our food and water come from, take time to really breath, support local businesses, drive less, seek out alternative sources for news and current events, be mindful of our responses to information and events designed to scare us and strive to make decisions and reactions based more on love and openness, than fear and self-protection.

The most powerful weapon in the world is a mother's love for her child. As mothers, as midwives, as women, we have this weapon, this tool, at our disposal in great quantities. Let us use it to work for change and to create a peaceful healthy world for our children and their children. May our daughters inherit from us a deep, abiding trust in their bodies’ ability to give birth. Let us create a culture that recognizes that how a woman gives birth to herself as mother and to her baby does matter! Peaceful birth, peaceful earth!