Allowed to Birth- WOLLONGONG documentary screening PLUS Live Q&A panel

Across cultures and continents, birth has become shaped by systems of control and intervention. A documentary on the maternal health crisis Join Us for Allowed to Birth - Documentary Screening + Live Q&A Panel! Allowed to Birth is a powerful new documentary following midwife and educator Kristine Lauria, exploring the global maternal health crisis and what it would take to make childbirth safer, more humane, and more empowering for all. Featuring leading voices in the birth world including Dr Melanie Jackson, Dr Stu Fischbein, Kemi Johnson and more. Join us in Warrawong for a special screening, community connection, followed by a live Q&A panel with experts TBA. 🎥 Event Details 📅 Date: Tuesday 22nd September 2026 ⏱️ Time:6:45- 8:45pm 📍Location: Gala Twin Cinema Warrawong. 204 Cowper St, Warrawong NSW 2502 🏡 The event is raising funds for Hygieia House and Better Births Illawarra. Babies in arms welcome Across cultures and continents, birth is both a universal experience and a deeply personal journey, yet for millions it has become increasingly shaped by systems of control, risk, and intervention. This documentary explores the global landscape of childbirth, revealing the growing maternal health crisis and the projound impact of the medicalization of birth. Through intimate stories and cross-cultural perspectives, the film examines how modern obstetric practices (while often lifesaving) have transformed a natural process into a highly mangaged medical event. It questions whether this shift has always served mothers and babies, or if it has, in some cases, distanced them from safer, more holistic care. At the heart of the film is the life and work of midwife and educator Kristine Lauria, whose approach offers a powerful alternative. Grounded in respect, physiology, and evidence-based care, her work challenges conventional models and reimagines what childbirth can look like when autonomy, trust, and continuity of care are prioritized. By waving together global insights with one woman's mission, the documentary invites audiences to reconsider how we bring life into the world, and what it would take to make birth safer, more human, and more empowering for all.