Yeah. No mention on the weather control story on how the temperature manipulation would affect the wildlife.

Also, check out your link on the man-eating robots. It's been updated.

The labor thing is making me completely insane right now.

First off, natural childbirth is objectively better for most low risk women. Studies abound. http://childbirthconnection.com/ However, many feminists (and that Dr. Amy T. dope - crusader for the medicalization of childbirth) seem most upset that a person with a Y chromosome would dare utter such a thing. Well... so does that mean no male OBs? What about female OBs and midwives who haven't had kids? What about OBs and midwives who had pain relief in childbirth? I mean limiting it to people who have actually had labor pain would kinda mess with the supply of labor support people.

Secondly, as a libertarian it drives me crazy, but regarding the medicalization of childbirth I have to cast my lot in with a lot of lefties. I certainly wish that health care costs were something that actually had cost signaling to the consumer him/herself, which would lead to far more homebirths/midwifery and therefore healthier mothers and babies, but it is not. So really the only thing that can currently be done is to try to convince women to see their OBs for the money-making procedure-machines they are, and switch themselves. Sadly, the fear surrounding childbirth in our culture makes it really hard to say anything without encountering women who have been brainwashed by their OBs to believe that if they hadn't had an OB there they would have DIED. (almost never the case)

I wish birth were something we prepared for, with Bradley or hypnobirthing or whatever classes, instead of something you give over completely to a doctor who makes 3 times as much money by performing a c-section.

And in case it really is something where you can't talk about it unless you've done it - I had a 9 lb 1 oz baby with no epidural until 9cm, and a 10 lb 6 oz baby with no drugs at all. With the smaller one I had a 2nd degree tear that made recovery awful (seriously, it was almost a year before I felt ok again). With the big one I had no tearing and was back to completely normal 3 weeks after the birth. I have also had kidney stones which are way worse than childbirth, so the whole "childbirth is the worst pain you ever experience" is just plain wrong.

I should probably just write a rant on my own blog, but it's not very political and most people who read it already agree with me anyway. ;-) Thanks for reading.

Hey, Leah, you're welcome to rant here.

I don't know much about the trade-offs involved in pregnancy and labor medicalization (or not) but I find Walsh's talk about the "rites-of-passage meaning to childbirth" and pain "preparing a mother for the responsibility of nurturing a newborn baby" somewhat disturbing, especially since he was saying that doctors were "too quick to give in to requests for pain-killing injections."

What's this "give in" B.S. about? If the mom-to-be doesn't want to take painkilling meds to avoid harming the baby or because she wants to try natural childbirth, I say good for her. But if she tells the doctor she wants the drugs, they damned well ought to give them to her.

Agreed, but a larger problem is that women are indoctrinated to fear labor pain from childhood - almost everyone loves telling labor horror stories, etc. Fear increases pain perception.

In my imaginary world, doctors and midwives would encourage (real, not 1 hour hospital ones) childbirth classes, birthing tubs, and doulas that are proven to reduce labor pain while women are pregnant. Instead of doing a 5 minute blood pressure/baby heart rate check then acting surprised when women are shocked by the intensity of labor.

And really, "give in" is crap. Totally agree. But in my experience the number of women who are denied pain meds when they want them is drastically lower than the number of women who go in wanting natural birth are coerced into pain meds/c-sections by doctors who want compliant, quiet patients.

Quick update - check out this douche nozzle.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/07/doctor-disciplined-in-womans-labor-treatment.html

(background here)
http://www.unnecesarean.com/blog/2008/12/17/more-than-just-rude-behavior-the-rest-of-catherine-skols-all.html

I'm glad he has been disciplined but am still hoping she wins her lawsuit.

That is the kind of person who should be getting hell from the feminists, not the guy trying to raise the profile of (studied, chosen) natural birth.

Skol's lawyer is pretty clearly throwing a lot of stuff at the wall to see what will stick, especially where Rush is concerned, but yeah, that doctor sounds like a dick. I've been spending a lot of time watching medical personnel deal with senile old people. If they can put up with that, he can damned well put up with someone who doesn't call first.