The freebirth cult and the fatal delusions of ‘ancient wisdom’
Associate Professor Vinay Rane explores a world where candlelit births are on offer but accountability is scarce — with tragic outcomes.
Australian freebirths are back in the news following the recent death of a mother in one case and a baby in the other.
Both seem to involve a doula called Emily Lal, known online as The Authentic Birthkeeper, who is now subject to an interim order banning her from providing health services in a “clinical or non-clinical capacity”.
In this brutally eloquent essay, obstetrician Associate Professor Vinay Rane writes of what happens when a movement pedals misinformation as ‘ancient wisdom’.
It was originally published in Nine newspapers.
