Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital in Australia has recently caused an outrage among birth photographers. This week, the hospital has formalized its decision that no professional photographers can be present during the process of birth. The decision was met with great disapproval and even led to an online petition to change the hospital’s policy.
The hospital spokesperson told Yahoo News that professional photographers had never been allowed to be present while the baby is being delivered. Before and after the birth yes, but not during the delicate process of birth itself. They explained that complications are rare, but they can arise very quickly. This is why the medical team needs to be able to react promptly and without any distractions.
“While we make every effort to make our birthing suites as warm and homely as possible, they are clinical procedural areas. They are still highly technical areas with a range of emergency equipment on hand, so having additional people with additional equipment can potentially get in the way of the work our clinicians need to do.”
As I mentioned earlier, this decision has caused an outrage among some members of the community. A woman named Michelle Palasia decided to create an online petition to try and reverse it. At the time of writing this, the petition has collected nearly 15,000 signatures.
Palasia writes that birth photography “pieces together moments that are forgotten. Moments that are hazy. Moments that don’t make sense.” She adds that the ban will “strip families of this powerful tool and leave them with an incomplete story” and calls the decision “reprehensible.”
“This is not just a policy targeted at birth photographers. NO photography of your baby entering the world will be permitted…not by your partner, not by your Doula, not by anyone in your birth team!”
In the petition, Palasia doesn’t mention fathers. This could be omitted on purpose, because the hospital’s spokesperson confirmed that fathers are allowed in the delivery room. Not only that, but they are welcome to take as many photos as they like while their child is entering this world.
Yahoo News cites social commentator Jane Caro, who backed the hospital’s stance:
“I think if the hospital thinks it gets in the way of a healthy birth, then it should be banned. The point of giving birth is a healthy mother and healthy baby.”
I chose to cite Caro as well because I couldn’t agree more. Aside the fact that birth photography is just “too much” for me. As a woman, I’d never want a photographer to capture me during childbirth, and I would found it extremely discomforting. But that’s just me. Discomfort aside, I would definitely want the safest possible conditions for the childbirth and as few distractions as possible for the medical team. So, personally, I support this decision. What do you think?
[via FStoppers, Yahoo News Australia]
What sort of strange woman would want to be photographed giving birth? They will want death photography of their parents too next!
Jacquie Akroyd that is not next that is passed.. Search Victorian era dead people pictures..
Alexandre Ayoubi I know about post mortem Victorian pictures they are vile! I own a picture of my Great Great Great Grandmother propped up dead with her hand on a Bible! I mean they’ll be recording people die with their eyes popping and their tongues hanging out. Why must people feel the need to record everything now. They take photographs of just about everything they eat too.
Jacquie Akroyd why not though? Surely it’s personal preference. This article was about photographing births though, not deaths.
Each to their own as it’s true there’s no accounting for taste, I would not have wanted to do this or see pictures of myself being born. Care to see Granny’s privates anyone?
There are many women that have photographers photograph them giving birth.
Death photographs are real. Been around since photography was invented. Jacquie Akroyd
They must of had a previous photographer move a bench or light in order “to get the shot”…..
Isn’t the child kinda you know…. enough of a momento?
But what about all the social media timelines?
I’ve been asked to leave during a birth, it’s the doctor’s call. Then I was allowed back in for the weighing and measuring. It’s their office not mine and I respect the discussion. Plus this hospital is not the only one in the area, if it’s that important to have a birth photographer present during birth there’s other options.
It’s the most beautiful thing to be part of. Of course photographers shouldn’t be banned. If it’s safe and the birth is going well, why not have it recorded like any other life event?
If something should go wrong, I would exit the room.
Liese Vermont ?
if the parents want them there, what’s the big deal?
The same doc might do ten deliverys a day and get tired on them being in the way and wasting their time. The one I’m getting tired of seeing is people now do fake trips to the park and have a pro follow them around taking video of the parents pretending to play with the kids, every shot is staged.
Most hospitals have a limit on the amount of people allowed in the room. If the couple is within the limit, set stipulations instead of bans such as not allowing tripods or light stands to be set up, no flash photography during actual birth, and no touching lights and instruments. Don’t need to ban birth photographers completely.
There’s always a story behind the rule… I’d like to know what event lead the hospital to feel they had to make and enforce this rule.
It could be the case of one person ruining it for the rest of us.
as a trained and experienced Medical Photographer, I say leave the decision to the charge nurse. We can do great images until the birthing process, and stay in scrubs just outside the door to step in and capture first contact. Adapt to your circumstances, fellow Photogs in the Down Under!
I wonder what incidents of conflict in the DR happened to cause this total ban?
If a woman wants a lens up her clacker while she’s giving birth, who am I to stop her?