In Pain And Sorrow: Childbirth Incarnation And The Suffering Of Woman

George C. Stoney’s educational film, “All My Babies: A Midwife’s Own Story” (1953), was produced for the Medical Audio-Visual Institute of The Association of American Medical Colleges. It was used to educate midwives in the south. The face of “All My Babies” is midwife Miss Mary Coley. She was an African American midwife who had experience in this business for eighteen years. In those eighteen years, she delivered one thousand, four hundred healthy babies.

“There is no protection. To be female in this place is to be an open wound that cannot heal. Even if scars form, the festering is ever below” (Morrison 163). Toni Morrison, in her novel A Mercy, suggests that women in 17th century American society were constantly subjugated as inferiors no matter their class or privilege. Although Rebekka and Widow Ealing were both privileged, white women, they still faced the societal pressures that harmed the mother-child relationships among the slaves – Lina, Florens, and Sorrow. Each chapter of A Mercy is told from a different character’s perspective, allowing readers to understand the similarities among the female characters’ standpoints during this time period. By depicting the tribulations of motherhood that extend beyond society’s narrow stereotype, Morrison exposes how societal pressures of the late 17th century America influenced the complexities of motherhood.

Sin and Grace in Christian Counseling by Mark R. McMinn, is a remarkable book on the effects that sin has on humanity now after the fall in the Garden of Eden, and how God uses His unfailing grace to redeem us from our sin so that we can still live in relationship with Him. The author discusses the different beliefs when it comes to sin and how many people believe that sickness and health issues are directly related to the sin that you have going on in your life. He then counters those beliefs with his personal beliefs and

God gave men the free will to elect their own salvation. There is no sin until it is actually committed. Sin was now considered a voluntary act. It also consists of a change of heart, which revived the concept of limited atonement. Christ did not die for only a select few predestined elect, but for whosoever will accept God’s offer of salvation. Personal commitment also involved an active and useful Christian life in which individual action brings the kingdom closer.

Robin Yates’s paper, “Pregnancy and Childbirth, The 1800’s vs. Now: What to Expect When You’re Not Expecting,” was filled with many clear points on the advancement of labor and medicine since the 1800s. This essay was filled with interesting and grabbing facts; however, the structure of the essay needs more support.

Throughout our modern and ancient history the lives of women have been overlooked by male historians. In some cases, not just the lives of ordinary women, but some of the most powerful and influential women at the time. Examples of this included Nancy Wake, Mary Bowser, Sybil Ludington, and Claudette Colvin. And in many instances, important facts about our history have been erased by historians simply choosing not to record the lives of women- especially women in their everyday lives. In many communities, women were the ones who kept the household, the stores, and even life up and running. Women worked in their own homes, gardens, the fields, stores, healthcare, and in religious ceremonies. Without them, society would have fallen- women kept the world turning. Yet we know so little about the lives of everyday women. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, famed early American and women’s historian, decoded the diary of Martha Ballard in her book The Midwife’s Tale, to bring us understanding and insight into the lives of many women in the 18th century. Ulrich is a devout believer in studying the lives of ordinary women to understand history.

Another way to think about this is how Wesley wrote in his sermon The Scripture Way of Salvation. On our journey to sanctification, he states, what keeps us going on the journey are the means of grace, whether they be for ourselves or done for others. His basic point was that once we are brought into awareness of the grace and our need to repent and turn from our sin, the means provide the nourishment our souls need to grow in grace. How else could one grow in grace than by means of grace?

The women, men, and children that live in Bom Jesus, for the most part, from the moment they are born have a very hard life. The impoverished women, on average during their reproductive days, have about 12 pregnancies. Of those pregnancies only about three of the children survive. (pg. 311) When asked, how many children would be the ideal family size, the women would answer between two to three children. (pg. 331-332) So the question that must be asked is why these women have so many pregnancies when they only really want about three children? The answer to that question has many reasons and most of them are deeply rooted in the culture that the women live in.

Romance novels are typically based in a set pattern and Karen van der Zee’s A Secret Sorrow is no exception. Meanwhile, in Gail Godwin’s “A Sorrowful Woman”, the romance aspect is not nearly as focused on. While A Secret Sorrow is a nice, easy romance novel, the short story “A Sorrowful Woman” is a much better example of literature, and portrays a much more unique message. The two stories differ greatly when compared by their theme, by the role of motherhood and children, and by how they are written. Theme is almost predictable in most romance novels.

I did not realize that giving birth was so costly until now, I gave birth with a C-section and I was not charged for anything and I had a different insurance. Normally in New York, when you go to your first visit to the hospital and you don't have insurance they make you apply for one and it cover all the costs depending on the insurance. I stayed in the hospital five days and receive a lot of care from the

• Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin are death but the gift of God is enteral life in Christ Jesus our Savior

Some theologians go as far as to view the doctrine of original sin as ‘offensive’ or ‘a perversion of the Biblical doctrine of sin’ and ‘quite incompatible’ in its traditional form. However, they would also admit that it accurately emphasizes the foundational Biblical truth that “sin is a dominant force, and that all men are connected in the solidarity of sin.”

When Jesus died on the cross he was giving up his life for other people's sins and demonstrating the love of God. When Jesus rose again he proved that it was possible to overcome death and live with God for all eternity. Christians were freed from the burden of original sin if they followed Jesus' teaching and example and believed in him as the Son of God. Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies' - John 11:25-26.

It is regrettable that female infanticide and foeticide are rapidly decreasing the female population throughout India. The main factors that is responsible for the increase in the incidence of female infanticide and foeticide is the low status of women, son preference, and the practice of dowry across all casts groups.

Being a mother is one of the best gifts from a life. A mother gives her children unconditional love without expecting anything in return. Being a mother means more than having given birth to a child. It is an invisible connection between mother and child; it is a blessing, a relationship that never ends and the love that never dies. However, for some women, motherhood might be challenging in ways they did not expect, forcing them to choose between having an abortion and keeping the child. The debate over abortion is an ardent and polarizing issue as there are those who believe that all humans including those unborn should have a right to life, and on the other side of the spectrum are those who believe it should a woman's right to choose whether she wants an abortion or not. This topic relates to Gwendolyn Brooks's poem, "The Mother", where the author describes the painful thoughts, heartbreak, and awful feelings that a woman experiences after having an abortion. Brooks lays out a helpful framework for understanding the difficult situation of facing unplanned pregnancy. In "The Mother", a woman recollects her inner conflicts as she laments over the guilt of having had an abortion and the future she never gave her would be child. Brooks's poem provides insight into the research which reveals how abortion affects women morally, psychologically, and religiously.