It would be nice, though, if we could have properly balanced information given. For some people, home will be better, for some, hospital will be better, and for others, there's probably not much in it and the decision hinges on "what if something goes wrong" and the standards of service available locally. Instead, according to the (admittedly small sample of) women I've known who've given birth in the last few years, the people one would hope can give this balanced information are either madkeen on homebirth OR madkeen on hospital, and both types get their respective points across by recounting horror stories of what happens in the Other Option compared to the fluffiness and safety of Their Way. The only real effect this approach had for my little sample, is to absolutely terrify the women in question (not to mention their partners) about the dangers of giving birth in ALL its forms.