Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein
The Business of Being Born (BOBB) documentary screening is back, this time with the Executive Producer and Director themselves leading the way. Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein will be joining us along with OB/GYNs and Midwives from the original production. This mini-reunion will cover the subject of birthing care in the United States and its impact on the health and mental health of women.
Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein have been at the forefront of bringing awareness of reproductive and maternal health issues to the mass public through the power of film. Since BOBB, they have also Executive Produced the documentary Breastmilk together, and are currently once more in production for the upcoming Sweetening the Pill (about contraception for women). Their follow-up More Business of Being Born was released in 2011 to discuss additional birthing options such as VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-Section) and to open up with celebrities who share their own birth stories.
Additional Panelists:
Dr. Jacques Moritz - Expert commentary on the field of Obstetrics from a renowned NYC OB/GYN also featured in the film. Dr. Jacques Moritz has been a member of the obstetrics and gynecology faculty at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center since 1995 and director of the gynecology division since 2000. In addition, he is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Élan Vital McAllister - President and Founder of Choices in Childbirth will speak on her consumer advocacy organization which strives to improve maternity care by helping families make informed decisions about where, how and with whom to birth. Elan is the consumer representative for the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and co-created The Birth Survey. She is also a DONA-Trained Labor Doula, a classically trained dancer, and a Tony Award winning Broadway Producer.
Sylvie Blaustein, CNM - Sylvie Blaustein has been practicing midwifery for 27 years since receiving a Masters Degree in nurse-midwifery from Columbia University School of Nursing in 1987. She opened Midwifery of Manhattan in 2003 and currently attends births at Roosevelt Hospital's birth center and labor & delivery unit. She has three daughters and three grandchildren all born at the Roosevelt Birth Center in Manhattan. She is enormously grateful to Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein for their huge contribution to increased awareness of birthing options.
Moderator:
Aurélie Athan - Faculty in the Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University and co-founder of the Sexuality, Women, & Gender Project. Her Scholarly interests center on women's development across the lifespan with an emphasis on the transition to motherhood. She researches subjective well-being in mothers and contributes to the rationale for the creation of a new transdisciplinary field of study in Reproductive & Maternal Mental Health. She sits on the academic advisory board of the Museum of Motherhood.
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014
Milbank Chapel
Teachers College, Columbia University
5:30pm-8:30pm
Free & Open to the Public
Milbank Chapel is located in the main building Zankel Hall (525 West 120th St. btwn Broadway & Amsterdam)
5:30 - 7:00pm (Documentary)
7:00-8:30pm (Panel Discussion)
*We will also be screening the trailer to their new upcoming documentary Sweetening the Pill.
Seats are limited. To attend please RSVP* here.
*Please note this is still a "first come first seat" event due to popular demand.
