News | Entertainment
30 Dec 2025 12:46
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Jodie Turner-Smith opted for a home birth because she feared she'd die in hospital

    The 'Queen & Slim' actress and her husband Joshua Jackson welcomed a baby girl into the world in April, and long before medical facilities began changing their processes due to the coronavirus pandemic, they knew they wouldn't be attending a hospital because of the statistics on "negative birth outcomes" for black women in the US


    Jodie said: "We had decided on a home birth because of concerns about negative birth outcomes for black women in America - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of pregnancy-related deaths is more than three times greater for black women then for white women, pointing, it seems to me, to systemic racism.

    "We never imagined that in the coming weeks, hospitals around the country would begin restricting who could be present in the birthing rooms, forcing mothers to deliver without the support person or people of their choice. Delivering at home ensured I had what every single woman deserves to have; full agency in determining my birth support."

    The last few months have also seen a wave of Black Lives Matters protest in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of police and while Jodie worries about having to discuss the subject with her daughter one day, she's hopeful change is on the horizon.

    She wrote in the new issue of Britain's Vogue magazine: "While my husband has been learning how to change diapers and I've been learning to breastfeed a newborn, the world has been reckoning with tragedy.

    "As a mother, I Feel everything more deeply and I honestly cannot bring myself to watch the video of George Floyd's death, to hear him crying out the word 'Mama as a police officer knelt on his neck until the life left his body. How do I prepare my daughter for the pain of seeing black bodies senselessly cut down? How do I help her reconcile Sandra and Breonna and Elijah and Eric and Philando and and and...

    "Sometimes I Wonder how I will explain to my daughter what it meant to be born in the year 2020.

    "The historic events, the social unrest and me - a new mother just trying to do her best.

    "I think I will tell her it was as if the world had paused for her to be born. And that, hopefully, it never quite returned to the way it was before."

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     30 Dec: Laura Dern has found it difficult to process the death of her mother Diane Ladd
     30 Dec: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry "sat on the floor" when their beloved dog was having surgery
     30 Dec: Russell Brand has been charged with further sexual offences
     30 Dec: Venus Williams has married Andrea Preti
     30 Dec: Taylor Swift has donated $1 million to Feeding America
     30 Dec: Travis Kelce was "mesmerised" the first time he saw Taylor Swift in concert
     30 Dec: Jenna Ortega's style icon is Siouxsie Sioux
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Nick Kyrgios has blitzed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 across what has been coined their battle-of-the-sexes tennis match in Dubai More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    The EU's new deforestation regulation could be favourable to New Zealand - when it eventually kicks in More...



     Today's News

    Environment:
    Officials are closely monitoring strong winds across the West Coast, upper South Island, and lower North Island, which have left thousands of people without power 12:47

    Entertainment:
    Laura Dern has found it difficult to process the death of her mother Diane Ladd 12:38

    Cricket:
    The Victory have trounced the Phoenix 5-1 at home in men's A-League football, Wellington's fifth loss in seven matches 12:27

    Politics:
    Donald Trump calls for Hamas to disarm after meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu 12:17

    Entertainment:
    Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry "sat on the floor" when their beloved dog was having surgery 12:08

    Cricket:
    Australian cricket coach Andrew McDonald looks poised to pick off spinner Todd Murphy for the fifth and final Ashes test starting January 4 in Sydney 11:57

    Rugby League:
    Tor the world darts championships round-of-16 at London's Alexandra Palace on Sky Sport.. 11:57

    Entertainment:
    Russell Brand has been charged with further sexual offences 11:38

    National:
    Biophobia: why some people hate nature – and what you can do about it 11:17

    Entertainment:
    Venus Williams has married Andrea Preti 11:08


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd