Women mark Labor Day with march for maternity rights

Nearly a dozen women — and a handful of supportive husbands — gathered Sunday afternoon to make signs for a rally that surely brings new meaning to the Labor Day holiday: More than 100 people are expected to gather Monday for "The National Rally for Change," a campaign in support of maternity rights, informed birth choices and evidence-based maternity care. Chicago and more than 140 other cities across the nation, including Milwaukee, Munster, Peoria, Rockford, Carbondale, Kankakee, Champaign, Decatur and Bloomington, are expected to participate in the campaign, which the sponsor, the website ImprovingBirth.org, started in December in San Diego. Local campaign leader Jessica Keirns is a Chicago-based doula, or midwife, and said the local doula community is "tightknit." After a friend suggested she lead the rally, Keirns, 31, applied for a permit with the city of Chicago and has spent the last six weeks recruiting thousands via Facebook and email invitations. The Chicago rally is planned for 10 a.m. to noon on Monday at the American Medical Association headquarters, 515 N. State St. "We want to raise awareness and start discussions between the mother and the care provider," Keirns said. "Some don't realize how bad things have gotten. Moms want change." The maternal mortality rate has doubled in the past 25 years, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. spends the most money across the globe in maternity care, yet it's behind 49 other industrialized nations in maternal survival rates. Cesarean section births are about 1 out of 3 in the U.S., Keirns said, though some are believed by the group to be unnecessary. "Babies are not always driving the major surgery," Keirns said. "There's been so much research, and women aren't being made aware of the risks." Throughout the rally recruitment process, Keirns said, she has heard heartbreaking stories from women who've had births go badly. "Some really, really incredible women have stood up and started sharing their stories," Keirns said. "They'll say, 'I was pushed into this,' or 'I was so devastated by how things went.' Now they want to help other women." More than 100 people have clicked "attending" on the Facebook invite for Monday's rally, but Keirns said she's hoping for more. "The signs we made say things like 'Informed consent,' 'Ask questions' and 'Your body, your choice.'" Keirns said. "Our No. 1 goal is to encourage women to make more informed decisions."