Numerous studies have been done to determine the safety of out-of-hospital birth. All of these studies have shown that home or birth center birth with a skilled attendant are just as safe, and in some instances, safer than hospital birth for healthy, low-risk women.
In fact, the countries in the world with the best birth statistics are those in which midwives are the primary caregivers for pregnant women and the home birth rate is much higher than in the United States.
Of course, there are some situations in which the hospital is the best place for a woman to have her baby, and for these situations, we are grateful to have the hospital as an option. Part of what makes community birth safe is having a collaborative relationship with hospital-based providers to allow for a smooth transfer of care should acute care become necessary.
But the fact is, out-of-hospital birth is a safe alternative to hospital birth for the vast majority of pregnant people.