for a better form of childbirth. Before The Farm was established, her husband Stephen was leading a speaking tour caravan in 1971, based on his philosophical seminars in San Francisco. It was for the first time on this tour that she helped a woman in childbirth. On March 16, as the caravan was traveling through Nebraska, Ina May went into labor. The baby, whom they named Christian, was born prematurely by 8 weeks and died the next day. She was not allowed to keep the baby, and law enforcement made her bury the child in Nebraska. Her own personal experiences fueled her interest into midwifery and safe childbirth. The Farm Midwifery Center In 1971 Gaskin, with her husband Stephen, founded a commune called The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee. There, she and the midwives of the Farm created The Farm Midwifery Center, one of the first out-of-hospital birthing centers in the United States.<ref>Spiritual Midwifery on the Farm . Mother Earth News. Issue #50, March/April 1978</ref> Family members and friends are commonly in attendance and are encouraged to take an active role in the birth. Gaskin found local family physician, Dr. John Williams, to serve as a mentor for her and other women looking to be midwives in this community. At that time, Dr. Williams had nearly 20 years experience serving Old Order Amish communities who had home births, so he was experienced with out-of-hospital childbirth. With his help and guidance, Ina May created The Farm Midwifery Center. They provide their services for the women of The Farm, as well as those outside the community. The center offers prenatal care environment accommodations for the childbirth event like apartments, houses, and cabins. Outcomes A study of home births assisted by the midwives of The Farm (Durand 1992) looked at the outcomes of 1,707 women who received care in rural Tennessee between 1971 and 1989. These births were compared to outcomes of over 14,000 physician-attended hospital births (including those typically labelled as high risk) in 1980. Comparing perinatal deaths, labor complications, and use of assisted delivery, the study found that "under certain circumstances (low risk pregnancies), home births attended by lay midwives can be accomplished as safely as, and with less intervention than, physician-attended hospital deliveries.". Significance of her work According to Carol Lorente (1995), the work of Gaskin and the midwives might not have had the impact it did, if it hadn't been