Birth Rights Rally in September: Who's Coming & Co-ordinators

[FabFiona]

Stretcher_Bearer - Just wanted to say that I agree with your take on it, and congrats put being brave and putting them forward.

It seems to me that the home birth movement are absolutely sensationalising their campaign and putting around misinformation that home births will be 'illegal'. There is no proposal to outlaw home births under any law around the country.

As explained earlier, under the proposed legislation Midwives who attend home births will not be eligible for insurance. If they don't have insurance they won't be able to attend hospitals, use medicare benefits numbers etc.

[lilmisshavachat]

In response to your comment Fionaw..

Quote: As explained earlier, under the proposed legislation Midwives who attend home births will not be eligible for insurance. If they don't have insurance they won't be able to attend hospitals, use medicare benefits numbers etc. End Quote:

Homebirth won't be illegal, in that you are correct. However if a private practising midwife attends a homebirth without insurance (which they cannot get due to the Govt not assisting them as they do Obstetricians and institution employed midwives) then they will be de-registered and a fine of up to $30000 can apply. Private practising Midwives don't attend hospital for birth and if they transfer with their birthing mother then their role reverts to that of a support person only anyway.

So yes, homebirth will not be illegal. We can homebirth but if we do we will have to do this unassisted without trained midwives thus removing our choice for a safe homebirth. I'm not interested in birthing at home unassisted and whilst I respect a womans choice to do just that I would also hope that my choice to birth assisted by a trained midwife with or without insurance in my home would also be respected.

Quote: It seems to me that the home birth movement are absolutely sensationalising their campaign and putting around misinformation that home births will be 'illegal'. There is no proposal to outlaw home births under any law around the country. End Quote:

There is no need for us to sensationalise this topic. Every man, woman and child should be concerned that our government is taking steps to remove our right to choose. It may be safe homebirthing now, but what happens when it's something that is close to your heart and your dream. Will it be so sensationalist then.

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

How about those of us who can't get to Canberra organize ralleys to coincide with the one outside Parlaiment house? We could make facebook event pages for it and everything.

[lilmisshavachat]

As a separate comment to Stretcher Bearer

Quote: Burying this amongst emotive rhetoric will have a negative effect. I appreciate the opportunity for home births having attended a few. I am also well aware of when things sadly go wrong and in a very big way. It is very easy for the happy partnership to disintegrate when clients look for an outcome legally.

I hope a successful outcome is reached for those who seek homebirths. End Quote:

Thank you for your well wishes and I for one am afraid that you are right about this argument disintergrating in emotion but for the reasons of the "Us against them" argument. There is no reason to look at why a woman wants a homebirth and the argument of "why they want a homebirth" is not pertinent to the womans right to choose argument. Let's not get bogged down in "what is a better birth". A better birth is the one that the woman birthing the child is most comfortable with.. Whatever her reasons.

[Kazbah]

I'd be interested in a Convoy to Canberra. I'll arrange the time off work and tell DH.

[Julie Doula]

It seems to me that the home birth movement are absolutely sensationalising their campaign and putting around misinformation that home births will be 'illegal'. There is no proposal to outlaw home births under any law around the country.

As explained earlier, under the proposed legislation Midwives who attend home births will not be eligible for insurance. If they don't have insurance they won't be able to attend hospitals, use medicare benefits numbers etc.

I think the charge that the "homebirth movement" (whozzat??) are 'absolutely sensationalising their campaign' is not accurate.

Coroner Reimer is not a homebirther, but a person who had to rule on a very difficult case. I don't think his comments are born of any desire to sensationalise anything. But this is his perspective of the effect the legislation is likely to have:

Report from Coroner Reimer re. the case concerning midwife Jillian Delaile
June 2009
Research shows the rate of infant deaths for homebirth is the same or slightly less than the rate of infant deaths for similar low-risk women who plan hospital births.
This concerns the sad case of a baby who did die in the process of being born at home, despite the midwife's efforts to resuscitate and transfer the baby.
Coroner Reimer's comments in the opening paragraphs make some compelling points:
"At the outset, it should be noted that certain pronouncements of the Federal Government of late might have a vast effect on the viability of private practitioner midwives and indeed the future of the practice of homebirthing altogether.
It seems that it is intended to legislate to make it unlawful for homebirths to take place attended by midwives, unless they are fully covered for professional negligence. It has been forecast that no insurers will be prepared to issue such policies. It seems to follow that the practice itself, by this back-door method, could in itself become unlawful.
Obviously this could have disastrous ramifications. It might have the effect of driving the practice of homebirthing "underground", which would be a dangerous outcome. History has shown that there will always be a small group of expectant mothers (and fathers for that matter) who will want to give birth in their home.
The representatives of the parents in their submission (and indeed the mother in a separate letter to the Coroner), despite the disastrous experience of this birth, argue that it is the inherent right of a mother to determine how and where she should give birth and birthing at home should be an available option. Not suprisingly the midwife's representatives also press these sentiments on the Court. It is a practice that will not go away and it is to be hoped that the Legislators take great care in drafting any proposed laws in this regard."