NOVEMBER 2010: Martha Roth, an activist and midwife from Nyack, New York, says she doesn’t deliver babies; rather, she “catches them.” As a firm believer that, whenever possible, babies should be born at home, Martha has helped mothers bring more than 500 babies into the world. The Journal News recently featured an article about Martha and the practice of midwifery in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Martha’s non-interventionist caregiving philosophy extends to keeping infant boys intact: she’s been an intactivist and supporter of Intact America from the organization’s beginnings. Both she and her husband, actor and IA Board of Advocates member Bill Irwin, are outspoken proponents of the fight to end circumcision. “We embraced circumcision in America because of gross misinformation given to parents by doctors, says Martha. “It was easy to implement, little by little, but it’s become such a part of the medical industry that it’s difficult to eradicate. Those of us who do patient care have to re-educate parents one-by-one—to persuade them that the natural male body is just fine. I am so grateful that there is an organization—Intact America—that is doing the work to educate people on a national level.”
Georganne Chapin, Intact America’s executive director, says, “Martha is a moral force—calm, grounded, and unassailable in her conviction that children should be welcomed into the world with peace and love. I am honored to know her, and honored to be able to count her among Intact America’s supporters.”
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