Illawarra mums and mums-to-be have been urged to watch a documentary screening around the world today to draw attention to the "violation of rights during childbirth".
Leading birth experts and international human rights lawyers say the film is the beginning of a campaign for radical change to the world's maternity systems.
The University of Wollongong will be one of 1000 venues across 50 countries to simultaneously screen the film.
WATCH: Freedom For Birth trailer
University of Western Sydney's Hannah Dahlen, who appears in the film, said tens of thousands of Australian women with low risk of birth complications were undergoing unnecessary medical interventions in private hospitals.
Describing the trend as "horrifying", the midwifery professor said there were "many choices to make when you're pregnant" and all women needed to be educated.
"How and where will you give birth? Who will provide your maternity care and who will attend the birth?
"To make confident and informed choices you need to be aware of all available options."
Illawarra Birth Choices spokeswoman Sonia Gregson urged women to watch the film, which featured more than 40 of the world's leading birth experts.
"We don't, as a society, think about having a baby until we are pregnant. That's less than nine months to decide and educate yourself," she said.
"I had my two babies at home and it wasn't until I joined a mothers' group that I realised none of the other mums had those kind of birth experiences," she said yesterday.
"They all had one hour in waiting rooms for their 15-minute appointments with obstetricians.
"I had unlimited time with a wonderful midwife. I wasn't brave, I was just as scared as all the other mums, but it just came down to being really well educated about the birth."
Made by British film-making couple Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford, Freedom for Birth tells the story of Hungarian midwife Agnes Gereb, jailed for supporting women during home births, and the subsequent successful European Court of Human Rights case.
It will screen at UOW's Building 20, Room 4, Northfields Avenue at 5pm and again at 7.30pm.