Birth. It is, alongside death, the most universal of all human experiences. One way or another - whether we are parents, offspring, or both - we are all affected by childbirth. But for an event so fundamental to all of us, it has a huge variety of cu... Read more

Birth. It is, alongside death, the most universal of all human experiences. One way or another - whether we are parents, offspring, or both - we are all affected by childbirth. But for an event so fundamental to all of us, it has a huge variety of cultural, medical, legal, and social meanings. So complicated is the field, and so little discussed - especially compared to the immediate before and after of pregnancy and child-rearing - that the person whose body is on the line throughout, the mother-in-the-making, is often readily overlooked in place of other concerns. Rebecca Schiller's All That Matters shines a light on the subject of women's rights in childbirth in a whole new fashion, setting birth in context amid the struggle for reproductive rights across the world. Frank and forthright, it is full of both powerful argument and her own rich personal experiences as mother, doula, campaigner, and researcher. As a mirror to society, childbirth, the attitudes to it, practices around it, and experiences of women going through it reflect the progress that has been made in advancing women's rights. This reflection also shows us that there's still a long road ahead. Ten percent of royalties go to Birthrights, the human rights in childbirth charity. Less