This month was a funny one because we had Doula Circle last week (3rd Tuesday in January, and this week was the first Tuesday in February!
Nonetheless, we had a robust conversation about a small host of large topics!
We talked about:
- An article in the Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics journal by Anna Smajdor of the University of Oslo who argues that what she calls 'whole body gestational donation' ought to be a thing, as “There is no obvious medical reason why initiating such pregnancies would not be possible.”
Please read the article yourself if you're curious and let us know your thoughts below. Those present at circle alternated between disbelief and horror at the idea that anyone could be considering this seriously. I hope we'll figure out how to feed, clothe and shelter the babies and people already here before we devote time, money and energy to figuring out how to use those the wombs of folks who've passed, nevermind the intersectional considerations of how privilege might affect the roles folks will wind up playing in that process!
- the parental expectation of relationship with children and how helpful it is to be reminded that children do not owe their parents relationship. In fact, that's true of all of us. We do not owe nor are we owed relationship.
- how many generations would we have to go back in our lineage to find the person with gestational capacity who truly had agency and freedom to choose whether they wanted to have children or not.
Journal prompt: Were you able to choose, or was there an inherent assumption about your reproductive desires?
- Aid Access: Abortion Pills by Mail
Aid Access will help you order abortion pills by mail. They protect the health and human rights of anyone without access to local abortion pill services. Please check them out asap as laws around abortion pill access are in flux in many states.
- good books folks are currently reading. Below is a small selection! Let us know in the comments what you're reading lately!
Ajira, who hosts Doula Circle, also shared:
Their Birthwork is Lifework! (2023 edition) reading challenge!
Their breath & liberation bookclub waitlist!
Next Doula Circle is: 2/21/23 and we'll be talking about:
Setting & Holding Loving Boundaries!
Nonetheless, we had a robust conversation about a small host of large topics!
We talked about:
- An article in the Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics journal by Anna Smajdor of the University of Oslo who argues that what she calls 'whole body gestational donation' ought to be a thing, as “There is no obvious medical reason why initiating such pregnancies would not be possible.”
Please read the article yourself if you're curious and let us know your thoughts below. Those present at circle alternated between disbelief and horror at the idea that anyone could be considering this seriously. I hope we'll figure out how to feed, clothe and shelter the babies and people already here before we devote time, money and energy to figuring out how to use those the wombs of folks who've passed, nevermind the intersectional considerations of how privilege might affect the roles folks will wind up playing in that process!
- the parental expectation of relationship with children and how helpful it is to be reminded that children do not owe their parents relationship. In fact, that's true of all of us. We do not owe nor are we owed relationship.
- how many generations would we have to go back in our lineage to find the person with gestational capacity who truly had agency and freedom to choose whether they wanted to have children or not.
Journal prompt: Were you able to choose, or was there an inherent assumption about your reproductive desires?
- Aid Access: Abortion Pills by Mail
Aid Access will help you order abortion pills by mail. They protect the health and human rights of anyone without access to local abortion pill services. Please check them out asap as laws around abortion pill access are in flux in many states.
- good books folks are currently reading. Below is a small selection! Let us know in the comments what you're reading lately!
- This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us - Cole Arthur Riley
- Know My Name: A Memoir - Chanel Miller
- Earth Medicines: Ancestral Wisdom, Healing Recipes, and Wellness Rituals from a Curandera - Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz
- Hold me tight - Dr Sue Johnson
Ajira, who hosts Doula Circle, also shared:
Their Birthwork is Lifework! (2023 edition) reading challenge!
Their breath & liberation bookclub waitlist!
Next Doula Circle is: 2/21/23 and we'll be talking about:
Setting & Holding Loving Boundaries!
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