I get a lot of feedback, both positive and negative, but there is one comment that I treasure above all others. That’s the blast e-mail sent out by Katie Prown of The Big Push for Midwives, bemoaning my influence, because of my “highly negative, but to the average person, highly plausible, comments.”
Curiously, there is no mention about which of my comments are false, or why they might be untrue. That’s because, as even Katie Prown and the folks at The Big Push for Midwives know, my claims are true, fully sourced with appropriate citations, and difficult to rebut. Therefore, homebirth advocates are reduced to whining “Don’t listen to Dr. Amy because …”
It’s time for an English to English translations of these fine whines.
Let’s start at the beginning. It always starts with “Don’t listen to Dr. Amy.”
English to English translation:
Don’t read what Dr. Amy has written. If you do, there is a very high risk you will be persuaded by scientific evidence and logic. Since we can’t rebut her, we prefer that you don’t even read what she says.
Alternatively:
Don’t think about what Dr. Amy has written. If you do, you will have no choice but to accept a great deal of what she says since she explains it very carefully so you can understand it.
Let’s look at some specifics:
“Don’t listen to Dr. Amy because she’s biased.”
English to English translation:
Dr. Amy is biased toward presenting complete information. She won’t exclude the mass of data that we feel compelled to conceal.
“Don’t listen to Dr. Amy because she cherry picks the data.”
English to English translation:
Dr. Amy understands math; we don’t. Dr. Amy does not merely quote the data, but she breaks it down so you can understand it too. That means that instead of merely accepting what we tell homebirth and natural childbirth advocates, you will be armed with the actual statistics that show that homebirth is not safe and that natural childbirth does not improve outcomes.
“Don’t listen to Dr. Amy because she’s crazy.”
Only a crazy person would take the time to present the data, show you where you can find it yourself, and explain how even you can understand and analyze it. That’s dangerous. Listen to us and you won’t have to use your own intelligence and reach your own conclusions. Just accept what we tell you.
“Don’t listen to Dr. Amy because she hates homebirth.”
English to English translation:
Don’t listen to Dr. Amy because she hates the fact that 2 out of 3 homebirth deaths are preventable. If you listen to her, you might start to hate that fact, too.
The bottom line is that when someone tells you “Don’t listen to Dr. Amy,” what they’re really telling you is don’t read, don’t learn, don’t think. If you do, you are bound to conclude that they are telling you is false, and they can’t have that, can they?
Ask yourself: Are you brave?
Are you brave enough to read what I say, review the papers that I cite, analyze the data for yourself, and reach your own conclusions?
I’m not afraid of that, but homebirth and natural childbirth advocates are. That should tell you all you need to know.
