Inspired by her own experience, actress Ricki Lake approached filmmaker Abby Epstein to collaborate on a film that would examine birth culture in America and ask questions about the way American women have babies.

Footage of women having babies punctuates THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN; Each experience is unique; all are equally beautiful and equally surprising.  Giving birth is clearly the most physically challenging event these women have ever gone through, but it is also the most emotionally rewarding.

Along the way, Epstein conducts interviews with a number of obstetricians, experts and advocates about the history, culture and economics of childbirth. The film’s fundamental question: should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every birth be treated as a potential medical emergency?

As Epstein uncovers some surprising answers, her own pregnancy adds a very personal dimension to THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN, a must-see movie for anyone even thinking about having a baby!The screening of this film has been planned to co-ordinate with the launch of the next phase of the campaign to save independent midwifery in the UK. Women need to know that this ‘gold standard’ of care should be one of their options in pregnancy and this film will give them the confidence to ask for it.

Screenings

London (Kings College) May 8th
Milton Keynes May 14th
Sheffield May 17th
Nottingham May 24th
Northampton June 10th
Bristol June 12th
Bath June 13th
Southampton June 14th
Leicester June 17th + 18th
Glasgow June 21
Hackney June 21
St Albans June 21
Brighton June 21
Liverpool June 21
Yorkshire June 21
Hereford/Worcester June 21
Reading June 21

If you would like to contribute to our campaign we would be most grateful.

Find out more about the Film here.

The Business of Being Born is a groundbreaking documentary produced by actress Ricki Lake and directed by Abby Epstein that pulls back the curtain on the maternity care system in America. Driven by Lake’s own disappointing birth experience, the film asks a question that resonates far beyond the US: in a world where birth has become a billion-dollar industry, who is truly benefiting — the mothers, or the system? The documentary makes a compelling case for midwife-led, woman-centred care, and has been widely credited with sparking a global conversation about birth choices, hospital practices, and the fundamental right of every woman to decide how she brings her child into the world. It is essential viewing for anyone who believes that birth belongs to the mother, not the maternity machine.