The Guardian has announced the launch of The Birth Keepers, a new podcast exposing the world of the Free Birth Society (FBS). Led by two influencers, this online community encourages women to give birth without medical support - no midwives, no doctors, no ultrasounds - just faith and ‘instinct’, added the publisher.
The Guardian says as a result of a year-long investigation, the series reveals how mothers were enticed with uplifting stories of ‘wild’ births and, in some cases, suffered devastating loss after being heavily-influenced by the group’s advice.
The FBS has since been linked to at least 18 cases where evidence suggests the group played a significant role in the mother or birth attendant’s decision-making, leading to potentially avoidable tragedies.
The Birth Keepers is the newest narrative podcast series from The Guardian Investigates. This new series is hosted by investigative reporters Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne. The Guardian Investigates also features podcasts including, Missing in the Amazon, Black Box and Can I tell you a secret?, which is also hosted by Kale.
The publisher says all six episodes of the podcast series are available now, listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Sirin Kale, Guardian journalist and The Birth Keepers host, says: “When we began monitoring the Free Birth Society a year ago, we couldn't have realised the extent of its reach - or its real world impact. I'm so moved by the courage of the women who spoke to Lucy and I for our reporting, many of whom had been through the unimaginable - the death of a child - and now wanted to speak out, to warn others of the dangers of the extreme FBS message, and the radical version of freebirth it promotes.”
Lucy Osborne, Guardian journalist and The Birth Keepers host, says: “This is a story of how misinformation on social media can affect anyone and the devastating repercussions it can have across the world. We are so grateful to the brave families who shared their stories with us to shine a light on this.”
Nicole Jackson, global head of audio, Guardian News & Media, says: “This powerful series is another compelling collaboration between the Guardian’s award-winning narrative podcast team and the Guardian’s investigations desk who have worked tirelessly to bring this reporting to life - in text and in audio. We are so grateful to the contributors who spoke to us - without them this journalism would not have been possible.”
Keep up-to-date with publishing news: sign up here for InPubWeekly, our free weekly e-newsletter.
