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ITVS Presents "Born in the USA": A Provocative Look at Having Babies in America
Premiering October 23, 2000 on PBS
"Midwifery advocates now have a wonderful tool in `Born in the USA' for promoting the midwifery model of care and gentle birthing methods," The Birth Gazette.
"This is the best film on birth in America that I have seen, showing all sides, achieving true balance and empowering women and families," Marsden Wagner, former director of maternal and child health, World Health Organization.
Each year, approximately four million babies are born in the United States, the vast majority in a hospital with a physician in attendance. Three out of every four Americans becomes a parent, yet most of us know very little about the actual process of giving birth until we personally experience it. Until then, most of what we know is based on hearsay, misconception, and TV sitcoms. "Born in the USA," produced and directed by filmmakers (and parents) Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, explores the current state of birthing in America--one that is far more medically-based than many experts think necessary.
"Born in the USA" will air nationally on PBS on October 23, 2000 (check local listings) as part of the second season of the acclaimed PBS series, "Independent Lens." "Independent Lens" is a ten-week series showcasing the best of contemporary independent television, including documentaries, features, and shorts.
The state of birthing in the United States is complex and controversial. While we now routinely use technology that saves countless lives that might have been lost just ten years ago, this technology has also led to one of the highest cesarean section rates in the world: one in five; and more than half of all births involve some type of surgical or operative procedure.
Are all these procedures necessary? How much technology is appropriate for the average, low-risk woman? Can this technology actually create complications? How does the big business of healthcare and the threat of malpractice impact what choices are available? If America, as a nation, spends more per birth than any other country, why do we still have one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the industrialized world? Are the full range of safe options--including midwife assisted births at home...