Fear in childbirth: are the media responsible?

Abstract

This is the second year that the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal and Perinatal Health convened a debate as part of the Festival of Learning at Bournemouth University (BU). The debate encourages members of the public and service users to get involved in our research and education and ensures that what we do at BU is relevant and current. Last year the team debated the pros and cons of allowing women free choice with regard to major medical interventions, such as caesarean section (Hundley et al. 2013). This year the focus was on the role of the media in childbirth. Social perceptions and beliefs about childbirth can increase women’s requests for interventions, such as caesarean section, with long-term health implications for mothers and babies. The debate was planned to explore the role of the mass media in shaping these beliefs and identify whether media portrayals are responsible for rising rates of intervention. Attendees were given the opportunity to voice their views and to vote for or against the motion. The motion for debate was: This house believes that: The media is responsible for creating fear in childbirth.