Motherhood expert pulls out of conference over accusations of promoting ‘dangerous ideology’ of ‘normal birth’

One of Britain’s leading doctors pulled out of a “normal birth” pregnancy conference after relatives accused him of promoting a “dangerous ideology”.

Dr. Bill Kirkup, who led the NHS pregnancy scandal investigation at East Kent and Morecambe Bay hospitals, was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at next month’s International Conference on Normal Birth and Childbirth Research to be held in Grange Over Sands, Cumbria. .

However, after being contacted by a group of parents whose children had died due to priority being given to so-called “normal” or natural births, he decided to retire.

The parents wrote to Dame Ruth May, England’s chief nurse, with their concerns and asking them to distance themselves from the NHS at the event. Dame Ruth said she would write to the event organizers at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to “express her concerns about the language they continue to use”.

Dr. Kirkup copied the letter with his parents and explained that their despair was compounded by the fact that the conference was taking place near Furness General Hospital (FGH), which was part of the Morecambe Bay investigation.

The panel noted that a key theme identified in the Morecambe Bay study was that prenatal care “was heavily influenced by a small number of dominant individuals, whose overzealous pursuit of natural childbirth sometimes resulted in inadequate and unsafe care.”

Following the Morecambe Bay Inquiry, similar problems were identified in other trusts, each of which found that the ideological drive for “normal birth” contributed to the deaths of infants and mothers.

Saw it in a comment IDr. Kirkup told the parents, “I was invited to speak at this conference and I accepted the invitation with the intention of presenting a point of view based on my experience of independent pregnancy research.

“I wanted to highlight the security risks associated with misapplying or misunderstanding policies. I thought it was worth doing, although I had concerns about the language and location of the conference.

“The power of emotion in your letter is obvious, and I should have known from the beginning that it would be so. Now that I have seen your letter and thought about it, I don’t think it would be good for me to participate. Today I informed the organizers of my resignation.”

The conference is not an NHS England event. However, at least one NHS Advisor is listed as a keynote speaker. The event was first held at the Grange Hotel in 2002 and is held there every two years. The conference is organized and held abroad every two years, each time in a different country.

Emily Barley, Beatrice’s mother, who died of negligence at Barnsley Hospital in May 2022, told I: We are very grateful for the support of Dr. Bill Kirkup, while we oppose this dangerous conference. This week marks eight years since he published his study of midwifery in Morecambe Bay, in which he explained how the pursuit of so-called normal births “at any cost” led to the death of babies there.

“Since then, UCLA scientists have refused – including at this conference – to admit that their ideological approach to childbirth has caused real harm and death, not only in Morecambe Bay, but throughout the country. Given her denial, we think it is correct that Dr. Kirkup is not participating.”

Ms. Barley was one of the parents who met Thursday with UCLA Provost Prof. St. John Crean to discuss their “deep fears and anger that the conference has not yet taken place.”

She said: “We felt heard and grateful for the opportunity to talk about our children and wider issues. It remains to be seen what action Professor Crean will take to ensure that his university no longer promotes the death and evil of midwifery.”

A spokesperson for UCLA said it was a face-to-face meeting and discussions with parents are planned for the future.