Imagine a movement so controversial that it’s dividing even the most passionate advocates for natural birth. This is the story of how unskilled radical birthkeepers are reshaping childbirth in Canada, and the devastating consequences that can follow.
When Emma Cardinal, a 32-year-old holistic practitioner from British Columbia, discovered she was pregnant in May 2023, she envisioned a serene home birth with midwives. Her community, steeped in counter-cultural values, often prioritizes home births. But everything changed when she stumbled upon the Free Birth Society (FBS) podcast. One episode, ‘Unpacking Ultrasound With Yolande Clark,’ left her shaken. In it, Yolande Norris-Clark, a Canadian ex-doula and FBS figurehead, baselessly links ultrasounds to autism and ADHD, claiming they ‘destroy cells.’ But here’s where it gets controversial: Norris-Clark’s extreme views, which even pro-freebirth advocates find alarming, have amassed a global following, with FBS generating over $13 million since 2018.
And this is the part most people miss: A recent Guardian investigation uncovered 48 cases of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, or severe harm linked to FBS-influenced births. Despite this, Norris-Clark and her business partner, Emilee Saldaya, continue to promote an extreme version of freebirth, urging women to forgo prenatal care and medical assistance entirely. Their Instagram account boasts 132,000 followers, and their podcast has been downloaded 5 million times.
Cardinal, initially skeptical of ultrasounds after listening to Norris-Clark, eventually decided to freebirth after consuming about 100 episodes of the FBS podcast. ‘I know it in my bones that freebirthing is my safest and most liberated option,’ she wrote. Tragically, her son Floyd was stillborn in March 2024. During labor, she ignored signs of fetal distress, recalling Saldaya’s advice to ‘not worry for the first three days.’ Cardinal later suffered sepsis, requiring hospitalization and multiple surgeries. ‘I almost had to have a hysterectomy,’ she reflects.
Looking back, Cardinal criticizes FBS for peddling ‘incomplete, biased, and dogmatic’ information. She now advocates for balanced perspectives, asking, ‘What happens when it goes very wrong?’ Norris-Clark and Saldaya have largely dismissed criticism, with Saldaya labeling the Guardian’s reporting as ‘propaganda.’
Canada’s ‘midwifery deserts’ and skepticism of licensed professionals create fertile ground for FBS’s messaging, especially among women with traumatic maternity experiences or pandemic-fueled distrust of medicine. However, not all women opting out of traditional care choose freebirth. Some turn to unlicensed attendants, assuming they’re skilled. Here’s the catch: While some are experienced underground midwives, others, like those trained in FBS’s brief online courses, lack the skills to handle emergencies.
Take Alexandra Smith, a 29-year-old life coach from Vancouver Island, who hired an FBS-trained ‘Radical Birthkeeper’ (RBK) for her birth. Smith, influenced by Norris-Clark’s charismatic podcast presence, believed RBKs were ‘trained, unregistered midwives.’ During her birth, the RBK, in her mid-20s, missed critical signs of distress. Smith’s son, Aksel, was born with severe oxygen deprivation due to a placental abruption. ‘She was like a deer in headlights,’ Smith recalls. Aksel lived for six and a half months before passing away.
Canadian authorities are cracking down on unlicensed attendants. Gloria Lemay, a notorious figure in the birth world, faces manslaughter charges after a baby died following a birth she attended. Lemay, who inspired Norris-Clark, is both revered as a folk hero and condemned as a dangerous charlatan. Meanwhile, health authorities warn against less skilled attendants, including FBS-affiliated RBKs.
The question remains: How much responsibility do influencers like Norris-Clark bear for the choices of their followers? And at what point does the pursuit of ‘birth sovereignty’ become a public health crisis? As tragedies mount, the debate grows fiercer, leaving families like Cardinal’s and Smith’s to grapple with irreversible loss. What do you think? Is freebirth a legitimate choice, or a dangerous gamble? Share your thoughts in the comments.
