{"podcast":{"title":"The Decibel","slug":"the-decibel-3326560","podcast_index_feed_id":3326560,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/TGclX98p","website_url":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the-decibel/","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/5829159f-6973-4aae-be8c-2e4a6cf3b1a8/0d94ae70-0b05-4b0d-b3fe-e6466dd76d2f/3000x3000/show-cover-show-the-decibel.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"The Globe and Mail","episode_count":1333,"summary":"Context is everything. Join us Monday to Friday for a Canadian daily news podcast from The Globe and Mail. Explore a story shaping our world, in conversation with reporters, experts, and the people at the centre of the news.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T18:18:10.233623+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-decibel-3326560"},"episode":{"title":"A big step forward for B.C. mothers subjected to ‘birth alerts’","slug":"a-big-step-forward-for-b-c-mothers-subjected-to-birth-alerts","published_at":"2026-05-19T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-decibel-3326560/a-big-step-forward-for-b-c-mothers-subjected-to-birth-alerts","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-decibel-3326560","url":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the-decibel/","audio_url":"https://afp-119681-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/8b638145-9d42-4003-985c-054905c039a5/episodes/31f98456-60ec-458f-a3f4-1e1cafe445fb/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=8b638145-9d42-4003-985c-054905c039a5&awEpisodeId=31f98456-60ec-458f-a3f4-1e1cafe445fb&feed=TGclX98p","summary":"“Birth alerts” were a controversial practice in several Canadian provinces that allowed hospitals and child-welfare agencies to flag pregnant patients they deemed to be high-risk without their knowledge or consent. They were in place until as recently as 2023 in Quebec. Last week, a proposed settlement worth $66-million was reached in a class action lawsuit over British Columbia’s use of birth alerts. Across the country, several other class actions are underway. Andrea Woo is a staff reporter for the Globe, based in Vancouver. She’s on the show to explain the effects of birth alerts on mothers and the significance of the B.C. class action suit.","meta_description":"“Birth alerts” were a controversial practice in several Canadian provinces that allowed hospitals and child-welfare agencies to flag pregnant patients the…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1372,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-decibel-3326560/episodes/a-big-step-forward-for-b-c-mothers-subjected-to-birth-alerts/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-decibel-3326560/a-big-step-forward-for-b-c-mothers-subjected-to-birth-alerts.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}