Gentle Birth.
When you think of Gentle Birth what words do you think of--calm, peaceful, smiles, joy, completeness, wholeness, tears, relief, powerful, quiet, confidence? When you think back to all of the birth experiences you have shared with women, what words do you think of? How many of these birth experiences...

Cairo Plus Five--and How It Almost Failed.
The Earth becomes home to six billion humans this year. In 1960, there were three billion and in 2030 there could be eight billion to nine billion. With nearly all the increase occurring in the poor countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America; with 585,000 women dying annually from...

From the Desk of ... Jessica Porter.
Executive Director Working in the ALACE central office every day, it is easy sometimes to feel a little isolated from all of the birthing women we help. We rarely get to see our members, and it is even more rare that we have personal contact with someone...

Research implications for policy-makers.
In light of recent research showing no overall association between hormonal contraceptive use and HIV acquisition among women at relatively low risk of HIV infection, no changes should be made in the provision or use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) or depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA). The World Health Organization's Medical...

Rheumatoid arthritis common amongst Aboriginal people.
WINNIPEG The most at risk people in the world for developing rheumatoid arthritis are Aboriginal people, who are immediate family members of someone who already has the disease. "Aboriginal people have a two to three times higher rate than anyone in the world," said Dr....

What price parenthood?
Current reproductive technology challenges us to think seriously about social values surrounding childbeating. Thoughtful discussion must combine careful attention to the experience of pursuing parenthood by technological means with principled reflection on the morality of this pursuit The ceremony goes as usual. I lie on...

Ova for sale: the art of the deal in the gray market for human eggs: "Donor #15".
LOUISE BROWN WAS born in July 1978, but the story of how she would recast civilization had been written years before. The first baby born through in vitro fertilization came not as a shock but as an affirmation, exhibit A to the commentariat who had for a decade promised...

Dancing through pregnancy: activity guidelines for professional and recreational dancers.
Abstract Over the past few years the benefits of exercise during pregnancy have become appreciated. Much attention has been given to common forms of exercise, such as aerobic dance, swimming, cycling and running. The effects of professional and recreational dance during pregnancy, such as ballet or flamenco,...

Therapy increases elective cesareans.
A recent study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (B JOG) (1) explored the relationship between fear of childbirth, participation in therapy, and the childbirth. The objective of the study was to explore the association between fear of childbirth and the cesarean section rate....

A Report on The NOW National Conference Committee on Health and Reproductive Rights, July 3, 1999 Expansion of Reproductive Freedom to Include Midwifery Model of Care.
The National Organization for Women, the largest and most important feminist organization in the country, has expanded its definition of reproductive rights to include choices in childbirth. The amendment reads: Whereas, The National Organization for Women has long supported reproductive freedom as a priority issue; and ...