How did we move so far from love that a mothers grief became the vehicle with which to punish her? Losing a baby during childbirth is one of the most heartbreaking things imaginable. But to then be accused of causing that death is nothing short of soul-destroying. Janet Frasers story shows what happens when private grief is turned into a public accusation against a woman who dared to exercise choice about how and where she gave birth. This sobering book demonstrates the penalties dished out to women who question medical orthodoxy and to make decisions for themselves about their own bodies. When things go wrong in a hospital, it is seen as unavoidable, and no one is to blame, as the medical institutions are seen as the arbiters of decision-making. The layers of bureaucracy protect insiders. Yet if a baby dies in a home birth, the full weight of the law comes down upon the woman who dared to give birth outside a hospital.
Janet Fraser was born in her mother's ancestral home, Saint John, and returned over 40 years later. In the meantime, she lived for long stretches in Halifax, Toronto, and St. John's. Her first poetry collection Long Girl Leaning into the Wind was shortlisted for the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award. She teaches part-time at UNB's College of Extended Learning.