Improving Birth has, once again, outdone themselves with their newest event. According to Michelle Hartney, " Participants will stand together in pairs and fold the hospital gowns into triangles, similar to the way U.S. soldiers fold flags at a military funeral.". That's right, folks, they will be folding up hospital gowns mimicking flag folding at military funerals. The purpose of this is "It’s about women being capable of making safer, more informed decisions about their care and that of their babies, when they are given full and accurate information about their care options, including the potential harms, benefits, and alternatives. It’s about respect for women and their decisions in childbirth, including how, where, and with whom they give birth; and the right to be treated with dignity and compassion.". I am unsure as to how this has anything to do with military honors as the organizer, Michelle, has chosen to remove or make this even private due to the sheer amount of posters that could not support this behavior.
With my military ties, I find this idea to be highly offensive, yet was told that UI was just a troll who didn't care about the military (although this person had no idea of my familial makeup). Our soldiers give their lives for our freedom, even the freedom for these first world women to mock them. However, my question is why?? Why make a mockery of this very sacred tradition?? The name of the event is Mother's Right. Oddly enough, for this group being about mother's rights, they trample all over homebirth loss mothers like myself, taking away all rights to, not only informed consent, but rights to respect, rights to be treated with dignity, and especially rights to compassion.
Birth has absolutely nothing to do with military service! If you want to have a protest, burn some hospital gowns, it's up to you, but please don't make a mockery of our fallen service members. It has now come to my attention that Michelle removed this event (or made it private). However, the fact that she and multiple women wanted to hold this is enough to make us take pause and question their motives.
