After that title, you’re undoubtedly looking for the photo containing graphic violence. Would you believe that it’s the picture at the top of the post?
Yes, that picture of the beautiful baby Mary Beth in her coffin after her death at homebirth.
That picture was reported as containing graphic violence. Twice! Once when the picture was posted on one of my Facebook groups and once when Bambi, Mary Beth’s mother, posted it.
Who would report a beautiful, heart breaking photo as containing graphic violence and why? I have some ideas.
Gina Crosley-Corcoran, the Feminist Breeder, finds pictures of babies who died at homebirth to be profoundly frightening and has encouraged her readers to view them the same way.
In other words, Gina, like most homebirth advocates, desperately wants to bury babies who die at homebirth twice. First in a tiny coffin in the ground; a second time by erasing their existence from public view.
Gina, like most homebirth advocates, can’t handle the truth about homebirth: it kills babies who didn’t have to die.
And the claim about graphic violence? The extraordinary picture of Mary Beth does violence to the idea that homebirth is a safe, beautiful experience. If women understand that homebirth leads to preventable deaths, most of them are going to stop choosing homebirth. Rather than looking at women who choose homebirth as brave and empowered, they will start viewing such women with contempt, in the exact same way as parents who refuse to vaccinate are now viewed.
That fear is compounded by her rabid hatred of me. Referring to the Facebook group Fed up with natural childbirth where the photo was posted:
She can hate me all she wants. I’ve proven that I can defend myself quite well.
At this point, I view Gina as a bug on the windshield of my life: annoying, occasionally in my line of sight, but thoroughly squashed long ago.
Rail against me all you want Gina, but when it comes to women who read my blog and participate in my Facebook groups, have a little human decency. If a mother wants to post a beautiful picture of her baby who died at homebirth to prevent another mother from experiencing the never ending pain, don’t deride it as a scare tactic and don’t inspire others (or was it you?) to report those photos to Facebook for containing “graphic violence.” It makes you look like a heartless, hateful fool.
