Exposed: the business linked to baby deaths across the world – The Latest

In this episode, Lucy Hough interviews Lucy Osborne, one of the investigative reporters from The Guardian who, alongside Shirin Kale, explored the Free Birth Society (FBS). Their investigation began when both reporters, being pregnant at the same time, noticed alarming levels of misinformation regarding pregnancy on social media. They discovered the FBS was promoting dangerous ideas, including the notion of 'free birth'—giving birth unassisted by medical professionals—without any necessary prenatal care.

The episode highlights how the FBS has grown from a Facebook group and podcast into a lucrative business, accumulating millions in revenue from courses advocating this extreme birth ideology. The reporters reported a shocking number of cases where women suffered stillbirths and maternal harm directly associated with the organization's teachings, emphasizing that women often made uninformed decisions stemming from a desire for alternatives to medicalized childbirth.

Moreover, the discussion points out the significant pull of social media, where algorithms guide users toward increasingly extreme content under the guise of positive birth experiences. The FBS's marketing preys on the fears women have regarding hospital births, funneling them into a network that often leads to tragic consequences. The FBS has denied wrongdoing, calling criticisms defamatory while releasing disclaimers about their content's intent. The episode serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of misinformation in maternal health and the responsibility of organizations for their influence.