The logic, unfortunately, is pretty sound from it. God cursed Eve with pain during childbirth due to her sin, and falling. Women today experience intense pain during childbirth . . . because it is God’s curse for being fallen. It is not a distant leap from there to make it a personal thing, where each woman is punished with pain while receiving the blessing of a child. =( Very, very common thought process.

But none of this should be read as in any way apologetic, because the paragraph above is written from a purely academic perspective. It doesn’t take into account the many ways in which women are, routinely and systemically, blamed for flaws in the birth process or experience.

I have nothing to add, other than that.

I believe that if a supposedly religious leader is teaching this “childbirth is meant to hurt to punish women for Eve’s sin” crap, they are false teachers and should be regarded appropriately. Just because some mysogynist spouts crap from a pulpit somewhere doesn’t mean that God feels the same way toward women.

As long as procedures or medications are not significantly endangering women without their knowledge or putting undue strain on healthcare resources, women should have the right to freely choose the level of intervention with which they feel most comfortable. This means that some may choose unmedicated, transformative, uncomplicated birth, and others will “not care” and concentrate only on having healthy babies and suffering as little as possible in the process. It really isn’t anyone’s place to judge the way a woman chooses to give birth.