The Dangerous Blind Spot in Pregnancy and Birth Care

What does it mean to feel safe while giving birth? For many Jewish women and families in the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond, that question has taken on an urgency that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett sits down with Dr. B.J. Woodstein, author of the groundbreaking new book Be Fruitful: The Jewish Pregnancy and Birth Guide. What starts as a discussion about cultural competence quickly reveals a far more urgent crisis: a dramatic rise in anti-Semitism that is making pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care dangerous for Jewish patients and providers alike.Dr. Woodstein, a doula and lactation consultant, shares firsthand accounts of Jewish women being turned away, verbally abused, and even reported to social services for following religious traditions. She describes a Jewish midwife who was called “baby killer” by a patient’s family while trying to support a birth. She herself was forced to leave professional doula groups after speaking up against anti-Semitic posts. She also reveals the chilling reality that many Jewish families are now planning exit strategies and wondering if this feels like “Germany in the 1930s.”But the episode is not just a catalogue of horrors. It is a call to action. Dr. Woodstein explains the spectrum of Jewish identity, from atheist to Orthodox, from Ethiopian to Ashkenazi, and offers concrete, practical steps that doctors, midwives, doulas, and lactation consultants can take to make their practices safe and welcoming. These include keeping politics out of clinical spaces, establishing clear anti-abuse policies, and simply asking Jewish families, “What do you need?”Dr. Kendall-Tackett brings her signature blend of compassion and no-nonsense science, connecting the conversation to her own work on trauma, inflammation, and the body’s response to discrimination. She ends with a direct challenge to non-Jewish listeners: “Stand up for your colleagues and patients. This is not okay. We wouldn’t do this with any other group.”Tune in to learn how to recognize anti-Semitism in maternity care, why Jewish families are frightened, and what you can do to be part of the solution.In This Episode:[00:00] Introduction[00:34] Introduction to Dr. B.J. Woodstein[01:30] Why Be Fruitful was written, and the rise in antisemitism[04:30] Antisemitism in universities and healthcare.[05:30] An HR manager blames a Jewish employee.[09:13] “We don’t want Jews in our department.”[10:18] A tube driver says no Jews are safe.[11:49] Jewish families plan exit strategies.[13:10] “Is this Germany in the 1930s?”[14:17] Pregnancy is a uniquely vulnerable time.[17:16] The myth of white privilege for Jews.[18:59] What is a Jew? Breaking it down.[22:54] Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi Jews.[26:40] “How can you be white colonizers?”[28:00] The spectrum from Reform to Hasidic.[30:14] A midwife calls social services over a brit milah.[32:50] What if she wore a hijab instead?[33:52] A Jewish midwife called “baby killer.”[35:36] Hospitals need clear anti-abuse policies.[38:03] “Are you a Zionist?” A doula is rejected.[40:10] Stand up, or you get Vienna.[44:24] Synagogue security vs. churches and mosques.[48:39] Ignorance versus active prejudice.[50:15] Doula UK refused Jewish cultural training.[51:24] Keep politics out of the delivery room.[53:23] A Muslim woman and a Jewish lactation consultant.[59:47] What providers can do right now.[01:00:40] Shabbat buttons, kosher food, naming on day eight.[01:07:49] See the individual, not the whole culture.[01:09:57] A call to non-Jewish providers: stand up.[01:11:13] Closing thoughts.Resources and LinksPodcastThe Science Chick Report Dr. B.J. WoodsteinWebsiteLinkedInBook: Be Fruitful: The Jewish Pregnancy and Birth GuideDr. Kathleen Kendall-TackettWebsiteLinkedInXFacebookResearchGate (upcoming paper)