THE PLOWBOY INTERVIEW

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PLOWBOY: Marian, many of the speakers at your Mother's Day conference were pretty glum about the home birth movement's prospects. David Stewart, for one, predicted that some hospitals would have 100% caesarean rates before long . . . that a lot of people would — in effect — have to practice civil disobedience . . . and that more than a few would become martyrs to the cause. Do you really think the prognosis is so grim?

TOMPSON: I'd love to say, "David's painting too black a picture," but I think he's right. No attempt to overthrow an entrenched system can succeed without having a lot of good people stick their necks out and sometimes get hurt. Some fathers have manacled themselves to their wives' hospital carts in order to get into the delivery room . . . people are being forced to act illegally, and sometimes even violently, because their primary rights are being violated or ignored.

PLOWBOY: Just how critical is the situation?

TOMPSON: Well, I don't think it's hopeless. Right now, things look pretty bad . . . primarily because we home birth supporters don't have the money, the power base, or the political clout to stop the drive for compulsory hospitalization. But a small group can eventually make a big difference. I sometimes take inspiration from the story of Gideon's troops in the Old Testament. As you may remember, the Lord asked Gideon to take only 300 people to do battle against hordes of Midianites. Gideon kept saying, "Lord, we're not fighting people . . . and besides, how can we win with just 300 troops?" He was told that he'd win because the Lord was with him . . . and he did.

Now on the surface it may look as if the people fighting for home birth are the wrong people to do battle, because we're typically gentle and compassionate folk. But we believe that for the continued existence and safety of our families — and I don't think there's any stronger motivating force than protecting one's family — we have to fight. We know that each person is indispensable . . . that no matter how advanced our society becomes, the needs of mothers, fathers, and babies don't change . . . and that we have to do something to help the individuals who really care about other people.

I think we'll win, too, because we take our motivation and our strength from the deepest, purest love we have.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Here are a few basic birth resources recommended by Marian Tompson.

Alternative Birth Crisis Coalition (ABCC, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 48371, Chicago, Illinois 60648). Membership in ABCC helps support prosecuted alternative birth practitioners and enables you to receive the group's periodic newsletter. ABCC will also provide legal counsel and expert assistance to those who join. Membership costs $10 a year for parents and childbirth educators, with higher rates for birth attendants.

Five Standards for Safe Childbearing (NAPSAC International, Dept. TMEN, P. O. Box 267, Marble Hill, Missouri 63764). Along with presenting the compelling evidence that good maternal nutrition, skillful midwifery, natural childbirth, home birth, and breastfeeding are essential to healthy child rearing, David Stewart's text ($9.95 postpaid) contains an excellent 50-page section on choosing a competent birth attendant. NAPSAC also publishes the useful NAPSAC Directory of Alternative Birth Services and Consumer Guide ($5.95 postpaid).

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