Giving birth can be traumatic. You are often trapped for hours and hours enduring torturous pain. 
 
 Within the safe confines of this blog many women have shared their horror stories about difficult, life-changing births that have scarred them forever. 
 
 We have previously discussed studies linking difficult births with post-traumatic stress disorder and post-natal depression, the result of which has left some women reluctant to consider pregnancy and childbirth again. 
 
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 But couple a horror birth with a doctor, midwife or healthcare professional who has little regard for the labouring woman and penetrates or examines her without consent, using instruments or his/her hand, and the controversial notion of “birth rape” is born. 
 
 The idea that a woman could be raped in any form whilst giving birth is abhorrent, and has been met with some scepticism, but women’s groups, online forums and blogs worldwide have allowed many victims a voice, bringing this frightening reality to light. 
 
 According to Australian website birthtalk.org, birth rape is similar to sexual rape in that the victim is placed in a vulnerable position and is ultimately powerless to stop the perpetrator’s actions. 
 
 The organisation, who offer forums on healing from traumatic childbirth, define birth rape as “having someone cross decent boundaries”. 
 
 Examples of birth rape include internal vaginal examinations without consent, breaking membranes without consent and inserting of forceps and other instruments into the vagina against the mother’s wishes. 
 
 Some women who claim to have experienced birth rape describe incidents where doctors or midwives made belittling and degrading comments when they could not birth fast enough, stitching lacerations without anaesthetic and inserting catheters without warning. 
 
 For a greater appreciation of the extent of this violation, you can read further examples of women’s experiences here. 
 
 According to UK based women’s blog, the f-word, birth rape needs to be recognised as institutionalised violence against women. 
 
 Blog contributor Amity Reed suggests women who experience trauma or rape in their first births are more likely to plan caesareans for their second birth. 
 
 “Fingers, hands, suction cups, forceps, needles and scissors … these are the tools of birth rape and they are wielded with as much force and as little consent as if a stranger grabbed a passer-by off the street and tied her up before having his way with her,” states Reed. 
 
 In this most vulnerable of positions women are at the mercy of their doctor or midwife. 
 
 They cannot remove themselves from the situation. 
 
 Birth is messy and at times so very undignified, and women in this predicament are expected to relent to any and all requests, be they from a passing medical student or trainee midwife. 
 
 I do recall counting six different people peering into my nether regions during one labor experience, but being too exhausted to care. 
 
 Has this expectation for women to do as they’re told allowed the birth rape of women in our labour wards to go untold and unnoticed? 
 
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 You can join Dirty Laundry on Facebook or follow the discussion on Twitter. ||||| Answering a Facebook campaign to show support, dozens swarmed the sidewalks in front of a Port Charlotte Hospital Sunday picketing against the hospital's insistence for a Cape Coral's mother to have a birth by C-section. 
 
 "Jennifer is not alone, she's not the only one," said one of the supporters. 
 
 We first told you about Jennifer Goodall's family when the hospital threatened legal action against her if she didn't comply with birth by cesarean. Goodall gave birth Friday and did have C-section birth. 
 
 Shouts of "Enough is enough" and "Honk if you hate forced surgery" came from the protesters toward anyone who drove by the Bayfront Health Port Charlotte Hospital. 
 
 Joining the moms were many youngsters standing along side their peers. 
 
 "Vaginal birth is not a procedure it's a normal outcome of pregnancy," said a protester. 
 
 They argue the decision of which way to go isn't left up to them. 
 
 "Every woman deserves the right to make choices about their birth and every woman deserves the right to say no if she doesn't want to consent to surgery," said Shannon Mitchell who is a mother of four. "I know what it feels like to just be in that position." 
 
 Mitchell claims she faced the same threats the Goodalls did with her own pregnancies. 
 
 "Florida's patient bill of right says we can refuse any procedure we want. And refusing cesarean is a procedure," argued Mitchell. 
 
 The National Advocates for Pregnant Women admit there is a higher risk of complication during a natural birth if the mother has had a prior C-section. 
 
 Goodall had three C-sections before this latest birth. 
 
 "Forced surgery is not an appropriate response to physicians fears about liability," said a protester. "We're tired of forced surgeries." 
 
 "Women are just asking for the chance to try and do what their bodies are designed to do," said Megan Nickel-Martin with ICAN. 
 
 Despite their presence Sunday, Bayfront Health refused to respond to the protesters but instead preferred to stand by their statement issued Saturday: 
 
 "Patient privacy laws prevent us from discussing any individualâ€™s care and treatment, but weâ€™d like to share some insight into our general practices. Every year, women and families throughout Charlotte County and surrounding areas trust our hospital care team to welcome their new babies into the world. We provided care for more than 1200 new babies and their mothers last year. We are honored to play a role in the lives of these families and take our responsibility to new and expectant mothers very, very seriously. We have equal responsibility for the health and well being of the babies born at our hospital. Our hospital is very respectful of a patientâ€™s right to informed consent and we eagerly encourage patient involvement in decisions regarding their care, particularly in respect to a motherâ€™s birth plan. We also rely on physicians to use their clinical judgment based on their training and experience to deliver the standard of medical care that preserves human life and results in the best possible outcomes."
– The mothers of the world are mad, and they're not going to take it anymore. A growing movement against "birth rape" is placing institutions on notice that women in labor oppose any vaginal intrusion by "fingers, hands, suction cups, forceps, needles and scissors" without consent, notes the Sydney Morning Herald. Uncaring, sometimes brutal physical examinations often traumatize vulnerable laboring women, notes birthtalk.com, which defines "birth rape" as anything that "crosses decent boundaries." Critics have called the assumption that doctors can examine women in labor whenever and how ever they please "institutional violence against women." One blogger complained: "The tools of birth rape are wielded with as much force and as little consent as if a stranger grabbed a passer-by off the street and tied her up before having his way with her."