Allowed to Birth- BYRON BAY, NSW documentary screening PLUS Live Q&A panel

Across cultures and continents, birth has become shaped by systems of control and intervention. A documentary on the maternal health crisis
About this Event

Join Us for Allowed to Birth - Documentary Screening + Live Q&A Panel!

Allowed to Birth is a powerful new documentary following midwife and educator Kristine Lauria, exploring the global maternal health crisis and what it would take to make childbirth safer, more humane, and more empowering for all. Featuring leading voices in the birth world including Dr Melanie Jackson, Dr Stu Fischbein, Kemi Johnson and more.

Join us in Byron Bay for a special screening, community connection, followed by a live Q&A panel with experts;

• Sarah Smits is an Australian midwife, educator and mentor with more than a decade of experience supporting women across hospital, birth centre and homebirth settings. Drawing on her work in Australia, India and alongside traditional midwives throughout Latin America, she is passionate about integrating evidence-based maternity care with traditional birth wisdom. Through Bridging Worlds Midwifery, Sarah mentors birth workers and supports families to experience birth as a safe, deeply respected and transformative life event.
• TBA, Stay tuned

🎥 Event Details

📅 Date: Tuesday17th November ,2026

⏱️ Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm

📍Location: Byron Community Centre- Theatre. 69 Jonson Street, Byron Bay 2481

A portion of proceeds from this screening will be donated to the Hygieia House and Midwifery Fund

Across cultures and continents, birth is both a universal experience and a deeply personal journey, yet for millions it has become increasingly shaped by systems of control, risk, and intervention.

This documentary explores the global landscape of childbirth, revealing the growing maternal health crisis and the projound impact of the medicalization of birth.

Through intimate stories and cross-cultural perspectives, the film examines how modern obstetric practices (while often lifesaving) have transformed a natural process into a highly mangaged medical event. It questions whether this shift has always served mothers and babies, or if it has, in some cases, distanced them from safer, more holistic care.

At the heart of the film is the life and work of midwife and educator Kristine Lauria, whose approach offers a powerful alternative. Grounded in respect, physiology, and evidence-based care, her work challenges conventional models and reimagines what childbirth can look like when autonomy, trust, and continuity of care are prioritized.

By waving together global insights with one woman's mission, the documentary invites audiences to reconsider how we bring life into the world, and what it would take to make birth safer, more human, and more empowering for all.