It's the Brain Lair Show on WNYC, good morning again everyone, birth in the United States

is largely understood as a major medical procedure, best done in the hospital under the supervision

of doctors, even though the use of midwives is on the rise, and it's true that it's dangerous

here in the United States, you've probably heard this, we've talked about it on the show,

we have the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, it's 10 times more

than some other high-income countries, including Australia, Austria, Israel, Japan, and Spain

according to NPR, and it bears repeating, black women are three to four times more likely

to die from childbirth than white women, and this runs across income levels.

Some researchers lay the blame at American women's poor heart health and levels of obesity,

but a growing number of doctors and researchers are suggesting it's the system that's failing

birthing people, the CDC estimates that 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.

Joining now to make the case that current medical practices around childbirth, harm women,

what can be done to change them is journalist Alison Yaro, she has a new book called Birth Control,

the Insidious Power of Men Over Motherhood.

Alison, thanks for coming on for this, welcome back to WNYC.

Thanks Brian, thanks for having me.

And we'll get to the subtitle of your book in a bit about why you cite the insidious

power of men, but tell us in general, why did you write a book about birthing now?

It was curious to me when I went into the experience myself, I've had three births that we don't

really share our birth stories, and so I wanted to do so more formally.

So I surveyed women in birthing people, I got about 1,300 people in my survey, and my training

is a journalist told me to talk to all the experts, so I did that too, I talked to doctors

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