Beverley Lawrence Beech

Beverley Lawrence Beech is a freelance writer, researcher, campaigner and mother of two who has campaigned to improve maternity care since the birth of her second child in 1976. For six years she was a lay adviser to the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford and was for seven years a lay member of the Professional Conduct Committee of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and a member of the Midwifery Committee of the NMC. She was also a lay member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Maternity Forum, and a founder member of CERES (Consumers for Ethics in Research).

She lectures, both nationally and internationally, on consumer issues in maternity care and the medicalisation of birth. She is the honorary chairman of the Association for Improvements in the Maternity. When not lecturing on maternity care from a user perspective, Beverley can be found on the Thames at Hammersmith sailing an Enterprise dinghy.

Midwifery—An Existential Crisis

In the UK, in 1960, the Peel Report suggested a goal of 100% hospital deliveries, without any evidence whatsoever that this would improve outcomes.

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 Read more…. Midwifery—An Existential Crisis

Human Rights in Obstetrics

Midwife Beverly Beech discusses the importance of human rights in maternity care.

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Ultrasound: Prematurity and Potential Risks

For its prevalent usage, ultrasound has been enormously under-researched. Written by the honorary chair for AIMS, this article is a useful step towards filling the lack of research and data on ultrasound.  Read more…. Ultrasound: Prematurity and Potential Risks

Ultrasound: Weighing the Propaganda Against the Facts

As a result of decades of enthusiastic marketing, women believe they can ensure the well-being of their babies by reporting for an early ultrasound scan and that early detection of a problem is beneficial for these babies. Read more…. Ultrasound: Weighing the Propaganda Against the Facts

Drugs in Labour: What Effects Do They Have 20 Years Hence?

Childbirth is a normal physiological event. However, since the advent of universal hospitalisation, for the majority of women childbirth has been transformed into a medical event where labour is processed, monitored and controlled by the medical profession from beginning to end. Read more…. Drugs in Labour: What Effects Do They Have 20 Years Hence?

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