I am sad because of the conflict between supporters of @writingblock and @DrJenGunter. Block’s book “Pushed” was instrumental in my career, and Gunter has been a hero since my blogging days.
(A thread)
(A thread)
My passion has involved a focus on women centered, autonomy promoting, evidence based, trauma and social justice informed health care in the challenging and wonderful sacred realm of sex, reproduction and birth
I trained as an out of hospital midwife and in an allopathic obstetics and gynecology program. I did a research fellowship on how physicians attitudes towards birth interventions are influenced by their loss of power.
I had a hard time continuing blogging, and one of the reasons I took down my blog (which I want to say both @DrJenGunter and @writingblock commented on at least once in the day, but I may imagining this) is the frequent flame wars between the “crunchy” the “science” advocates
Sometimes I thought social justice and evidence etc was on the side of those who were promoting science. But often, no.
I saw as much of not more anti-science promoted in the name of ridiculing “natural birth advocates” (no really, episiotomies are generally a bad idea) and breastfeeding promotion (no, in fact most IBCLCs are not baby starvation loving bullies).
There is still a place for patients who have to interact with physicians to be worried and suspicious. Our maternal mortality rates are rising, especially among women of color.
That being said, the expertise of women like @DrJenGunter is what we need in the medical community. I just read her section on pain during medical pelvic exams in “The Vagina Bible” and I felt compelled to post this thread.
I’m sorry two people I respect battled over an article. But, the aim of the article was misplaced. The author of this nuanced, autonomy supporting, patient affirming section is not the right enemy. And $60 jade eggs are not the right heroes in this fight.
I will continue to support promoting risk and benefit in an ethical manner with consideration of the values, autonomy and needs of my patients with the best evidence I have. I think there is a place for critical journalists in this.
But, on #medtwitter, women like me and @DrJenGunter are told every day by people like @HardCoreMoe (who is one of @DrJenGunter’s many volunteer lay critics) that we are arrogant shrills who need to tone down our science talk. 
So, an article like @writingblock’s doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Anyway, had to get that off my chest. Love my natural birth peels and my science-y peeps. Let’s all get along, ok, and fight the bigots and trolls together?
*if* not more
*peeps* not peels. We need an edit button!
