This sounds great in theory, but as that independent midwife said - the midwives who work within the program will not have a choice in how it is run. Ultimately the decision as to whether a woman will be approved for homebirth or not will rest with an OB - and I am willing to bet that very few women will meet the criteria. If you have had complications with past pregnancies(no matter how small) you might as well forget it. Overweight? Not gonna happen. OB thinks your baby might be "too big"? Sorry lady, no home birth for you. Had a baby in the past that was over 9lb, even if you birthed it vaginally with no problems? Too risky anyway. And if you are one of those women who are told that homebirth within that system will not be available to you, that's it. You are then left with having to give birth in hospital (which, if you wanted to do that, you would have gone with in the first place) or give birth at home, alone. Not very much in the way of choice if you ask me.