Welcome to the website of Gemma McKenzie, writer on all things connected to birth.

Giving birth is an event in a person’s life that can be deeply impactful in both positive and negative ways. Whilst pregnancy and birth are normal physiological processes, they take place against a complex backdrop created by factors that are often intangible and invisible.

The articles you will find in this website explore all aspects of pregnancy and birth. They touch on for example, the position of women in society, the power of the maternity system, the increased use of technology, and the growing awareness of women and birthing people regarding their own human rights. 

Birth is inherently political; whether we realise it or not, the way people give birth has become a reflection of the type of society we live in. The subject has been written about from all different angles: midwifery, obstetrics, history, law, sociology, bioethics and more. My aim with this website is to present my own contribution to this literature. Whilst I am inter-disciplinary, my main interests are human rights and ethics. More specifically, I am interested in how – and if – pregnant women and people are able to retain bodily integrity and autonomy during interactions with midwives and doctors. What happens when women say ‘no’ or ‘stop’? The focus on the perspectives of the people giving birth is what motivates me and is central to all the published articles you will find here.