BBC headline compares war to childbirth

[Longchip]

The BBC news website has this article headlined 'It's scary - but so's giving birth': The female unit gunning down Russian drones
Comparing war to childbirth is quite damaging, isn’t it? Birth can be a wonderful, joyous experience. War never is.

It's a quote from one of the women fighting. If they feel it, they're entitled to say it, and I guess she'd know better than you as she has given birth three times and fought in a war.

I didn’t take it like that. I took it to mean women are strong and very capable. Childbirth can be scary for lots of women for lots of reasons.

But giving birth is scary.

Every single woman has a chance they might die giving birth.

Just like these women might die in war.

It's a quote from a female soldier, what is the issue?

It's not like it's a man diminishing the birth experience is it?

It's not some bloke said "we're gunning down drones, we now know exactly what it's like to give birth for all those women."

@BlackOrangeFrog 👍

The BBC aren’t comparing it. Some one they’re interviewing is. And they’re right that women do die giving birth.

They aren't there for a jolly. They are fighting for their freedom.
Who are we to judge their feelings?

They are quoting a woman who is sharing her lived experience. A woman who had lived through unimaginable pain and horror. So, YABU

It's a quote. The BBC aren't holding this as an opinion they are conncting people across enormous geographical and cultural differences to help us understand what is going on in the world.

Invading another country or occupying territory against the will of the people living there wouldn't be much like giving birth, but fighting against oppressors and invaders, potentially laying down your own life, for the hope that your children and grandchildren might live free and thrive in the world you helped to claim for them - I can see the parallels there.

In past centuries there was the idea that childbirth was to women what the battlefield was to men - a perilous experience shared by most and formative of femininity/masculinity.

Yes I have heard that 'women fight their battles in the birthing room' or something similar.

I have read this report, and of all the dodgy BBC headlines we've had this year, this is one I do not have a problem with.

Her friend Inna is also in her early 50s and out on one of her first deployments.
“It’s scary, yes. But so’s giving birth, and I still did that three times,” she laughs

So no, they aren't the ones comparing war to childbirth.