Abstract :
There are few more controversial topics in the modern discussion of childbirth than the resurgent role of home birth. However, in a debate that should hinge on evidence, the proponents of home birth promote choice over fact and often betray hostility towards medical intervention. On the other hand, obstetricians are accused of using “what if” examples as scare tactics, shepherding their patients into a radical “medicalisation” of a natural, physiological event.
