Childbirth, a Joy—not a Suffering

Effect of a Childbirth Psychoeducation Program on the Level of Fear of Childbirth in Primigravid Women

Background: Severe fear of childbirth (FOC) is the most important cause of elective and emergency cesarean section and results in an unpleasant experience among women. Implementing a psychoeducational program can promote mothers’ knowledge and reduce the FOC. Aim: the aim of this study was to determine the effect of childbirth psychoeducational program on the FOC intensity in primigravid women....

Animal Suffering: A Moorean Response to a Problem of Evil

In this paper, I propose a new response to a particular instance of the problem of evil: the problem of animal suffering. My solution, in brief, is that the rational theist may argue, justifiably, that an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent God would not allow gratuitous animal suffering to occur, and, therefore, all instances of animal suffering that are encountered are not instanc...

Diagnosing suffering: a perspective.

The alleviation of suffering is crucial in all of medicine, especially in the care of the dying. Suffering cannot be treated unless it is recognized and diagnosed. Suffering involves some symptom or process that threatens the patient because of fear, the meaning of the symptom, and concerns about the future. The meanings and the fear are personal and individual, so that even if two patients hav...

HIDDEN SUFFERING: Disabilities From Pregnancy and Childbirth in Less Developed Countries

are a leading cause of death and disability among women of reproductive age (ages 15 to 44) in less developed countries. About half of the nearly 120 million women who give birth each year experience some kind of complication during their pregnancies, and between 15 million and 20 million develop disabilities such as severe anemia, incontinence, damage to the reproductive organs or nervous syst...

Making childbirth a normal process.